These Hard Times
by michellemtsu
Summary: Katherine and Elena hear some disconcerting truths from one Damon Salvatore. Spoilers through 2.04 "Memory Lane." AU after that.
1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:** I wrote this instead of doing homework. This idea refused to leave me alone until I wrote it. Who am I to argue with the muses? Let me know if it was worth it! Enjoy!

**Disclaimer:** Sadly, they don't belong to me.

The half moon shone through the trees lining the street, illuminating everything in an ethereal glow. Not that Damon needed it, of course. Seeing well in the dark was one of the many perks of his nature. But this night he was grateful for the light. With his crazy ex on the loose he needed every advantage he could get. Katherine could snap him like a twig if she wanted to and there wasn't much Damon could do about it. She had two hundred years on him. But he was determined to go down fighting, take the psycho bitch with him if he could. There was no doubt in his mind that a confrontation was coming. Katherine was back for a reason, a reason that had very little to do with the Salvatores. Damon had a sinking feeling that Elena was the key to whatever Katherine was planning. And as much as Elena hated him right now, there was no way Damon would let anything happen to her. Hence the vigil in front of her house, especially now that she and Stefan were on the outs. Damon was skeptical about the validity of their break up, but he wasn't going to look a gift horse in the mouth either. Elena may not know about him watching over her, but it gave him piece of mind. Who knows maybe one day she would know, and it would gain him some points with her. Damon knew that Elena may never love him the same way he loved her, but he was determined to regain her friendship. He'd rather have her that way than not at all.

"She'll never love you, you know."

Damon glanced to his left and sure enough, Katherine sat in the rocking chair next to him. Every muscle in his body tensed, prepared for whatever the bitch wanted to throw at him.

"Don't you have a minion to browbeat?" Damon replied, ignoring her possibly all too true observation.

"Oh, Caroline's not going anywhere. Right now, I'm more interested in you."

That puzzled him. Why the hell would Katherine suddenly be interested in him? Hadn't she spent the last 145 years proving just how _not_ into him she was? Now she suddenly gave a shit? Damon wasn't buying that for a second.

"Unfortunately, I left my give-a-shit ring in my other pants."

"Come on, Damon, we both know that I'm going to get my way eventually. Why are you being such a spoil sport?" she asked.

Damon finally turned to face her. "Why are you even bothering, Katherine? We both know you're the strong one here. You can just take whatever it is you want. Why play these games?"

Katherine actually looked surprised and a little hurt. "For the same reason you do, Damon. For love."

Damon was momentarily stunned but he recovered quickly. "Screwing with people is not love. It's sadistic and cruel. I should know," he said bitterly.

"Just because I don't love you, doesn't mean that I don't know what love is, Damon. I love Stefan. It's always been Stefan."

And for just a second, Damon was back in that terrible moment. The moment where he'd lost Elena. He could practically hear Jeremy's neck snapping. Hearing Elena echo Katherine's words had been quite possibly the worst moment of his existence. He couldn't prevent what he said next. "Stefan," Damon whispered, "it's always Stefan."

"I don't why you're so surprised, Damon. You've been passed over for Stefan your whole life. First Guiseppe, then me and now…Elena," Katherine said matter-of-factly, nodding toward the upstairs window. "You're forever second best."

Jealously bubbled up in Damon's chest, but he ruthlessly suppressed it. Katherine was trying to get a rise out of him – to let his guard down – but he couldn't let her. He'd be damned if he let Katherine get to him. He took a mental deep breath and focused on what was important, keeping Elena safe from the psycho in front of him.

"Now that you've oh so helpfully pointed out my fatal flaw, why don't you go? I'm busy."

Katherine laughed that cruel laugh he knew so well. "Busy doing what? Stalking the girl who wants nothing to do with you? Because if you're here for some other reason than you're pathetic obsession with my doppelganger, I'd _love_ to know what it is."

When Damon didn't reply, Katherine smiled. "That's what I thought. Seriously, what is it about this girl? She has both of you wrapped around her little finger. Do you see me when you look at her? Is that it? I know Stefan does, but what about you?"

Damon knew the answer, of course. He wasn't Stefan. Like his brother, he'd been intrigued by the freakish resemblance, but he never seen Elena as Katherine. They were polar opposites in almost every way. Damon decided to tell Katherine the truth. He could be nothing but truthful when it came to the girl sleeping upstairs. Plus it would piss Katherine off. A lot.

"The only person I see when I look at her is Elena. Sorry to burst your bubble, Katherine, but not everything is about you."

Katherine's gaze, which had been curious if mildly bored, suddenly turned angry. She was a blur of movement, but Damon anticipated her reaction and beat the older vampire to Elena's front door. Barely, but it was enough. Katherine stopped dead in front of him and glared.

"Get out of the way, Damon."

"No."

"I can make you. You know that. This has nothing to do with you."

"You threatening Elena has _everything_ to do with me."

"She _hates_ you, Damon. You killed her brother. She'll never forgive you. Why are you protecting her?"

"Because I love her," Damon replied without hesitation.

Katherine looked disgusted. "You're even more pathetic than I thought. This hero act is going to get you killed. Again," she reminded him.

"At least this time it'll be worth it," he said, echoing their earlier conversation.

"Fine. Suit yourself." With that, Katherine turned and was gone in a flash.

Damon exhaled, letting go of some of the tension. He'd successfully called her bluff. Katherine needed Elena for something. He was sure of it now. Otherwise he'd be dead already and so would Elena. But what was it? Damon pondered that disturbing thought as he settled back into his place of the porch. It was going to be a long night.

Upstairs, Elena climbed down off her perch in the window. She'd been unable to sleep; the all too real fight with Stefan kept running through her mind. What if they were making a mistake? What if Katherine didn't believe that their break up was real? What were they going to do? As Elena turned the situation over and over in her head trying desperately to find a way out of it, she heard voices down on the porch. Damon's she recognized instantly. When she also heard a slightly distorted version of her own voice, however, Elena's eyes went wide. Katherine. At her house. Her first instinct was to run, but Elena knew that wouldn't do any good. Katherine was too fast; she'd never get out of her room. So instead she peaked out the window and listened. And what she heard had shocked her profoundly.

It was like puzzle pieces falling into place. Well, some at least. And none of them had to do with Katherine. No, it was Damon who revealed himself to her. Damon, who'd always been second best, even though he was older. Damon, who wore his heart on his sleeve only to have those he loved stomp on it over and over again. Suddenly, she truly understood what happened the night Damon snapped Jeremy's neck. Damon had said that Katherine had pissed him off, but Damon hadn't been telling the whole truth. When Elena heard her own words to Damon echoed by Katherine, she understood. Elena had unknowingly rejected Damon the exact same way Katherine had rejected him. It didn't excuse what Damon did by any means – and Elena was still extraordinarily angry with him – but at least she understood. Understanding is the first step to forgiveness, as they say.

When the conversation turned to her, Elena nearly threw up. Katherine had to be lying. She _had_ to be. There was no way Stefan saw Katherine when he looked at her. Not the Stefan she knew. No, her heart refused to believe it. Then she remembered the look Stefan had given her at the Founder's Day parade, when she was dressed in period costume. He'd smiled at her, yes, but it was unlike any smile he'd ever given her. It was almost like he wasn't seeing Elena, he was seeing a memory…a memory of Katherine. No, no, she was just being paranoid. Stefan loved _her_, not Katherine. Elena's sanity rested on that notion. It had to be true, because if it wasn't…Elena didn't know how she could survive it. As disquieting as that thought was, Elena's heart involuntarily swelled seconds later when Damon said that he only saw Elena when he looked at her. A wave of shame washed over her. Despite everything that had happened, Damon was devoted to her. Elena recognized that now. And she'd taken advantage of that devotion, when she'd tricked him into giving her Katherine's journal. As angry as Elena was, Damon didn't deserve to be played like that. Damon had been treated like that his whole life. Elena resolved to do better in the future. If Damon could try and be better, then so could she. Elena wasn't ready to forgive him; but deep down she knew it was just a matter of time.

Hearing Katherine demand to know why Damon was hellbent on protecting her pulled Elena out of her thoughts. Elena already knew the answer, of course. But to hear Damon proclaim his love for her with such sincerity made her heart flutter. She knew it shouldn't. Elena knew she should be disgusted. She hated him after all. He killed her brother. But that didn't make what she felt any less true. And that's when she knew. Damon was right. She _did_ feel something for him. Something more than friendship. That's why what Damon did hurt so much, why she was so angry with him. Somehow Damon had gotten into her heart and she had no idea how to get him out. Or even if she wanted to.

How had her feelings for Damon become so complicated?

What kind of person did that make her? How did that make her any different than Katherine?

It was going to be a long night.


	2. Chapter 2

**Author's note:** I'm back! The overwhelming response to this story has encouraged me to continue it. School is now over, so I have time to devote to writing it properly. We're going AU from "Memory Lane." Somethings that happened in the show will remain; others will change. Just an FYI. Enjoy!

**Disclaimer:** They're not mine. Sad, isn't it?

**Chapter Two**

For Elena, the following day passed by in a blur. She got up and went to school but her heart wasn't in it. In fact, she spent most of the day doing a reasonable impression of a zombie. Stefan kept giving her worried glances, but seeing as they were "fighting" he couldn't ask her out right was what was bothering her. The minute the final bell rang Elena bolted for the door and made a beeline for her car.

Stefan beat her to it though. "Elena, _what_ is going on with you today?"

Elena tried but found she couldn't meet his eyes. Not after what Katherine had said. "It's nothing, Stefan."

Stefan frowned. "Don't give me that, Elena. Whatever it is it's not 'nothing'. Just tell me what's going on."

Elena didn't trust herself to speak. How do you explain to your boyfriend that you think he may still have feelings for your doppelganger? Even worse, how do you explain that you have deeper than friendship feelings for his brother? Her life was beyond screwed up. Elena needed time to think, but she knew she'd get precious little with Katherine lurking. Most of all, in that moment, she needed to be away from Stefan. She couldn't let her feelings for Stefan cloud her judgment. Elena steeled herself and looked up at him.

"We're supposed to be fighting, Stefan. This plan of yours is never going to work if you go chasing after me," she said quietly, but firmly. "Please leave me alone," she continued in a louder voice.

Stefan's face fell as he realized how right she was. They were taking an enormous risk with this plan. There was a part of him that knew they had practically no chance of fooling his ex. But he couldn't bear to let go of Elena. It was selfish and stupid, but he couldn't help himself. Elena was his whole world and he didn't know what he would do if he ever lost her. Right now, however, he had a part to play and it was about time he played it. Stefan nodded at Elena sadly and walked away.

Tears filled Elena's eyes as Stefan walked away from her. What was happening was so unfair. She hadn't asked for any of this. Why couldn't Katherine just move on? Why did she have to return to Mystic Falls? Was it really to get Stefan back or was there something deeper at work? The more she thought it the angrier she became. Frustrated, she yanked open the car door and threw her bag inside. Then she climbed in, started the engine and took off. She needed to drive, to get as far away from Mystic Falls and her troubles as possible.

It was a clear day, not a cloud in the sky. It was so far removed from the endlessly clouded sky that Elena's life had become that she almost started crying again. The love and joy she'd felt in the early days with Stefan seemed like a distant memory. Now everything was doom and gloom and crazy exs. Elena had alienated, in one way or another, almost everyone she cared about. Jeremy. Bonnie. Caroline. Jenna. Damon. And now it felt like she was loosing Stefan too. Elena hadn't felt this alone and lost since her parents died. She had _no_ idea what to do or how to fix the disaster area her life had become. At least not without sacrificing her one safe haven and that was something Elena was unwilling to do. Loosing Stefan might break her completely.

But what if Stefan wasn't the savior she believed him to be? Katherine's words kept haunting her. Did Stefan really see Katherine when he looked at her? Elena thought they'd gotten past this after her trip to Atlanta, but now she wasn't so sure. She was sure that Stefan loved her, but did he love Elena for who she was or for what wasn't? She simply didn't know. And that bothered her. A lot.

The afternoon faded into darkness and Elena continued to drive. She didn't have any particular destination in mind; she was just driving. Elena knew that Jenna would be worried when she didn't turn up for dinner, but Elena didn't think she could stand watching Jenna and Alaric being cute and couple-y when she was so miserable. As she drove, a fundamental truth began to dawn on her. Everything that had happened was – on some level – her fault. Not on purpose, of course. Hurting the people she loved was the last thing Elena wanted. However, by involving herself with Stefan, she invited the dangers of his world into her own, thereby putting the people she loved in danger. A danger they hadn't asked for or deserved. Although, to be fair, given the Gilbert family history, her involvement with vampires may have been inevitable. Either way, she was at least partially responsible for the fix she and those she cared about were in and she was determined to do something about it. With a renewed sense of purpose, Elena turned her car back in the direction of Mystic Falls. She knew what she had to do.

Elena wasn't surprised to find Stefan waiting for her when she got home. After giving Jenna a hurried explanation for where she had been, Elena climbed the stairs with a sense of both relief and dread; relief that a decision had been made, but dread at the heartache that decision would cause. Still, it had to be done.

"Where the hell have you been, Elena?" Stefan practically shouted.

Elena gave him a hard stare. "Don't shout, Stefan. Jenna."

Stefan lowered his voice, but didn't back down. "First, you won't tell me what's bothering you, then you disappear for hours! What was I supposed to think?"

"I don't know, Stefan," Elena replied. "Did it ever occur to you that I didn't want to be found? That I needed some time to myself. Contrary to popular belief, my world doesn't revolve around you." Elena knew she was being unusually abrupt, but she hoped it would make this easier for Stefan to accept.

Stefan looked at her, completely dumbfounded. This was unlike the Elena he knew. He knew she was under an enormous amount of stress, but he'd never seen her like this. Something was wrong. "Elena," he said, "what's going on? Did I do something to upset you?" He paused. "Has Damon?"

Thinking about Damon was the last thing she wanted right now. That line of thinking only lead to confusion and more self examination than Elena was ready for at the moment. Right now all she wanted was to keep those she cared about safe and that included the Salvatore brothers.

"No one's upset me, Stefan."

"Then what?"

Elena sat on her bed and gathered her teddy into her arms. The slightly battered childhood toy gave her the strength to say something she never imagined herself saying.

"I think we should break up, Stefan." She said it so quietly only Stefan's vampiric hearing allowed him to hear her.

Whatever he was expecting her to say, it clearly wasn't that. "What did you say?" he said.

Elena looked up at him with determined but tear-filled eyes. "We can't see each other anymore, Stefan. You heard what Katherine said. People I care about are in danger. I can't just ignore that."

"But I thought we discussed this. We put on that show for Caroline. As far as Katherine knows we _are_ broken up."

"Do you really think she's going to believe that? This is _Katherine_ we're talking about. She's been one step ahead of us every time, Stefan. Can you guarantee that she won't find out? That Jenna and Jeremy and the others will be safe?"

"You know I can't do that, Elena. But breaking up is not the answer."

"Then what is, Stefan? Because if you have a better idea then I'm all ears."

Stefan's face fell. He knew, just as well as she did, that there was no better idea. Until Katherine was neutralized they were taking too big of a risk, a risk that Elena wasn't willing to take. Stefan couldn't blame her or be angry with her. However, he was too selfish not to try and make her change her mind.

"Elena, I don't have a crystal ball. I don't know what's going to happen," he said helplessly. "Please don't do this."

"I have to, Stefan. As much as I love you, I have to put my family first. They deserve that. I've put them in danger. I can't even tell Jenna what's going on! And Jeremy...he didn't ask for any of this Stefan, he's just a kid. He shouldn't be worried about vampires and werewolves and witches. Now Caroline's a vampire. Tyler could become a werewolf at the next full moon. It's too much, Stefan. We're being selfish, making it all about us. It's not. It's about the innocents I've put in harm's way. I _have_ to protect them as best I can, don't you see that?"

"But who's going to protect you?" Stefan asked.

"I'm not asking you to leave town, Stefan. I'm not naïve as you think. I know you and Damon won't let anything happen to me. I know this is an imperfect solution. Katherine's still a threat. She probably has some nefarious scheme, but until we know what that is I have to keep the others safe. Please respect that," she pleaded, desperate to make him understand.

"Elena," Stefan began.

Elena cut him off. "I really think it would be best if you left. I'm sorry, Stefan."

Stefan looked like he was about to argue again, but he thought better of it. Elena could be every bit as stubborn as he brother. With a sad, resigned nod, he climbed out the window and was gone.

Elena stared after him for a long time, tears streaming down her face. Her head knew she'd made the right decision, but her heart wasn't so sure. Stefan had been her world for so long. She sometimes had trouble remembering her life before she met him. That was a blessing and a curse. While he had been instrumental in getting her past the death of her parents, she'd become so wrapped up in him that she neglected other parts of her life. She needed some time to get to know Elena again. That knowledge didn't stop her from crying herself to sleep.

Damon sat on the couch staring unseeing into the fire. It had been another terrible day. He'd been in deep discussion with Alaric about their resident werewolf problem when he got a nearly frantic call from Stefan saying that Elena was missing. His first thought was Katherine, which made him even more paranoid.. Where could Elena have gotten too? So they had split up. Stefan scoured Mystic Falls while Damon and Alaric hopped in his car and expanded the search. As they were searching, all kinds of scenarios ran through Damon's mind. Each worse than the one before it. Had he gone too far the night before? Had his blatant defense of Elena pissed off Katherine to the point that she'd taken it out on Elena? If that happened, he'd never forgive himself.

"I'm sure she's fine," Alaric said from the passenger seat.

"Are you trying to make me _feel better_?" Damon asked incredulously.

Alaric grinned at the sheer absurdity of it all. Damon was right; here he was comforting the guy who'd killed him a few weeks ago. How screwy was that? But he'd gotten a glimpse of the real Damon; he knew there was a decent guy in there. Deep down. Alright, _very_ deep down.

"You want to play the big bad vampire game, Damon, that's fine. But I know you. Better, I've _seen_ you with Elena. I know you care about her. Hell, you might even love her. I'm not going to judge you for it," Alaric replied. Damon raised a sardonic eyebrow. "Look, however improbably, I'd like to think we've become friends. You don't have to pretend with me. But by all means continue, if you feel that your manhood is in any way threatened."

In spite of himself, Damon felt a sad, knowing smile spread across his face. Sitting next to him was a kindred spirit; Alaric got him if no one else did. He decided to do something he rarely did and confide in the history teacher.

"I had a confrontation with Katherine last night. At Elena's house."

"And you think that might have something to do with Elena's disappearance?"

"I hope not."

"Were you an asshole? Because I don't think pissing Katherine off is a good idea."

"No! I just told her the truth; it's not my problem that she's an egotistical bitch."

Alaric didn't look convinced. "And this truth was..."

Damon kept his eyes on the road. "I told her that I didn't confuse her and Elena."

"And...what? That's it? You expect me to buy that? Whatever it was it has you spooked enough that you're confiding in _me._"

Damon scowled. "Fine. I said that loved her...Elena, that is. And I made it clear that Katherine was only going to get to Elena by going through me first."

As he'd promised, there was no judgment or moralizing from Alaric. It was information he'd already known – or, at least, suspected – for some time. He never thought he'd hear Damon admit it out loud though. Instead, he found himself sympathizing.

"Does Elena know?" he asked.

"No, and I shouldn't have to say..."

"If I tell her, you'll make sure my ring disappears and then kill me. I know."

"Just so we're clear."

That had been hours ago. When Elena had arrived back home safe and sound, Jeremy called to let them know. Damon dropped Alaric off at the Gilbert house and returned to the boardinghouse alone. He desperately wanted to check on Elena, but Stefan was there. If there was anything amiss, he knew Stefan would call him. He resolved to go check on her himself later. Until then, he would get cozy with a bottle of scotch and a roaring fire.

Imagine his surprise when Stefan came home looking like he'd been hit by a Mack truck. Damon was immediately on alert.

"What's wrong, Stefan? Is it Elena? How is she?" Damon knew sounded a tad frantic – and he hated that – but it was Elena, damn it.

"She's fine, Damon," Stefan said, his voice dead.

Damon's eyebrows knitted together in confusion. "Then why are you here? I thought you'd be busy fulfilling the not-broken-up part of your 'break up'."

Stefan's look told him he'd been right all along about the not-so-fake break up he'd overheard. He was about to call Stefan on it when Stefan held up a hand.

"Save the lecture, Damon. It's over."

"What's over?"

"Elena and I."

In other circumstances this would be music to his ears, but seeing his brother so...lifeless tugged at Damon's heart. "Why?"

"Because she saw what I couldn't, or rather, what I was too selfish see."

"Which was?"

"Elena's putting her family first, Damon. As she should. I can't blame her for that."

"Alright, Stefan, you're going to need to drop the cryptic and give me the Cliff Notes."

"Katherine demanded that I get Elena out of my life or she would kill Elena's family and then Elena herself."

_That explains a lot_, Damon thought. "And you thought a fake break up would appease her? Are you insane? Have you met Katherine?"

"Believe me, Damon, I know. I _know_ I was being reckless. I know it was stupid. But I couldn't give her up."

As much as Damon understood – the idea of cutting Elena out of his life, current troubles aside, made his stomach churn – he couldn't believe his brother could be so selfish. Well, that was only partially true. Despite Stefan's reputation for being the "good" Salvatore brother, Damon knew better than anyone that there was selfish streak a mile wide lying beneath that nice guy exterior. When it came to something he wanted, Stefan could be just as selfish as the next man.

"And they call me the evil, selfish brother," Damon spat. "You know how important her family is to her, Stefan. Do you really think she'd put them in danger if she can avoid it?"

"This is Katherine's fault," Stefan said. "If I'd have killed her when I had the chance..."

Confusion crossed his features again, but Damon pushed it aside. With it he felt his empathy with Stefan's plight evaporate, leaving anger in its place. He knew, if Stefan didn't, that this situation had more to do with Stefan than Katherine. Stefan only cared in so far as things affected him. It was easier to blame Katherine than to take genuine responsibility for his actions. Damon recognized the signs, having done it for a century himself.

"Why didn't you, Stefan? If you had the chance to rid us all of her, why didn't you?"

"I don't know, Damon."

Damon looked at his brother in disgust. "Well, when you do know, be sure to share with the rest of the class. I have to go clean up your mess."

It didn't take him long to get to the Gilbert house. It was very late. Silently, he climbed up to Elena's window and pushed it open. He hadn't come in through the window in months. In fact, he hadn't been in Elena's room since that night. This night, however, he needed to see her, even if she couldn't see him. He was careful not to wake her. The pillow was tear-stained and wet; his heart broke for her. So much had changed for her in such a short time. It was a miracle she hadn't broken down before this. More than anything in the world, he wanted to be the one she turned to for comfort, but he knew better. His own precarious relationship with her was too fragile, too fraught with tension. So he would be there for her when she didn't know he was there. It was the least he could do for the woman he loved.


	3. Chapter 3

**Author's note:** Thanks so much to everyone who has reviewed/favorited/alerted this story! You guys rock. There's a bit of POV switching in this chapter. Don't worry it's still either Damon or Elena, but there's bit more stitching than usual. I hope it's not too confusing. Enjoy!

**Disclaimer:** If I owned Damon Salvatore...yeah, I probably shouldn't finish that statement! :P

**Chapter Three**

When Elena arrived downstairs for breakfast the next morning, she felt like death warmed over. It had taken a long time for her to exhaust her tears; she had no idea how much sleep she had gotten. It couldn't have been much, because Jenna looked at her in alarm the second she stepped into the kitchen.

"Elena, are you okay? You look terrible!"

Elena mustered a weak smile. "I'm fine, Jenna. Just tired."

Jenna narrowed her eyes at her niece. Elena groaned inwardly. The last thing she needed right now was for Jenna to get overly concerned. That could lead to awkward questions she couldn't answer. Luckily she was saved by Alaric.

"Elena, how's that project coming?" he asked. "I told you not stay up too late working on it."

"I know, Ric. I just wanted to get it finished before the picnic today." She nodded at her history teacher in silent gratitude, as Jenna turned back to making breakfast. He looked at her quizzically, but knew this wasn't the time or place for explanations.

Elena hated leaving Jenna in the dark, but couldn't bring herself to burden yet another member of her family with her secret. It was bad enough Jeremy knew. Without another word, Elena ate some breakfast. She wasn't hungry, but trying to maintain an air of normality was imperative, for Jenna's sake. Breakfast finished, Elena climbed back upstairs. As she showered and dressed for a day she so emphatically did _not_ want to face, she wondered where her brother was. She hadn't seen him since her hurried arrival the night before. She hoped he stayed out of trouble; she wanted him as far from the supernatural as possible.

"Elena!" Jenna called. "We're heading over to the park. Are you coming?"

"Just a second!" she replied with way more enthusiasm than she felt. Quickly, she fastened her vervain necklace around her neck, grabbed her phone and went to join Jenna and Alaric.

They arrived at the park about fifteen minutes later. The party/community project was already in full swing. Elena had to hand to Mrs. Lockwood, she was handling the loss of her husband remarkably well. She wondered if her new responsibilities helped keep her mind off it. Who knew, maybe it could so her some good too. She did miss things like this. Before her parents' deaths, she, Caroline and Bonnie did these kinds of community projects all the time. Caroline's endless enthusiasm for them were a large part of that; she had a way of making them fun. And her mom always encouraged it; community had been important to Miranda Gilbert.

"Elena! Over here!" Caroline called when she saw her friend. At least, she _hoped_ Elena was still her friend. After the unfortunate Katherine debacle, she honestly wasn't sure.

Elena waved and headed over. She had resolved to forgive Caroline. Katherine was a manipulative bitch, Elena knew that. And if Caroline had helped her with her scheme, Elena was pretty sure that Katherine had threatened someone close to her. She couldn't be angry at Caroline for that.

"Hi, Care," Elena said.

Caroline smiled gratefully. "Elena, I am _so_ sorry. I didn't mean to say those things. It's just that Katherine..."

"It's alright, Caroline. I understand. Who did she threaten?"

Caroline's lower lip quivered; she was on the verge of tears. "Matt. She's _scary_, Elena. And if anything happened to Matt..." she trailed off.

Elena hugged her friend tight. "I know, Caroline. Shush, it'll be okay. We'll find a way to deal with her, I promise."

Caroline pulled away and smiled. "Thanks, Elena." She wiped at her tears with the back of her hand and looked around curiously. "Where's Stefan?"

Elena felt the knife twist in her chest. The look on Stefan's face when she broke his heart was still fresh in her mind. But she wasn't going to let it defeat her. She would _not_ mope or feel sorry for herself. "You don't have to keep pretending Caroline. It's okay, I'm fine."

Caroline looked genuinely confused. "Elena, I'm being serious. You didn't really expect me to believe that act in the Grille, did you? I told Katherine what went down word for word, of course, but I didn't buy it for second."

Well, that just confirmed that Elena had been right all along. If _Caroline_ didn't believe it, then there was no way Katherine would. "Caroline, I broke up with Stefan. For real. We had a plan, but it was a really, really _bad_ plan. I couldn't put all of you at risk like that. I ended it last night," she said quietly.

Caroline looked astonished. Then it was her turn to hug a crying friend. When Elena pulled away, Caroline said, "Are you sure you're okay with this, Elena? I know how much Stefan means to you."

"Caroline, all this is my fault. I've put you all in danger and that stops now. Maybe after Katherine's gone, things can be different, but right now, my friends and family are my priority."

Caroline nodded in sympathy and acknowledgment. It meant a lot that Elena would sacrifice that mush for those she loved. "If you need to talk to someone, you know I'm here for you, right?"

"I know, Caroline. Thanks."

"Anytime. Now let's go get some work done before Mrs. Lockwood spots us slacking."

Damon really hated these things. Besides the temptation of hundreds of warm bodies, the endless barrage of mindless chatter was annoying as hell. Once upon a time, Damon would have either avoided outings like this entirely or used it as a snack bar. Either way was more than fine with him. Somehow along the way, however, he'd become attached to this godforsaken town and its insignificant inhabitants. A big reason for that, he knew, was due to the girl he was watching surreptitiously out of the corner of his eye. Elena was talking and laughing with Caroline. They were working on some painting project, trying in vain to keep paint off their clothes. To one who didn't know her, Elena looked like she was enjoying herself, like she didn't have a care in the world. But Damon knew better. He could only imagine how gutted she must feel. He'd left her room shortly before sunrise, careful to leave no trace that he'd been there at all. The last thing he wanted was for her to feel put upon by his unwanted presence. His love was a cross for him to bear and bear alone. He'd accepted that long ago.

Elena watching aside, he did have a legitimate reason for being there. Mason was still on the loose and undoubtedly pissed as hell. The wolf needed to be dealt with and soon. The full moon was only a week and a half away. In addition, Damon had a suspicion that there was way more to Mason's sudden appearance in Mystic Falls than met the eye. The fact that Mason had turned up within hours of Katherine couldn't be a coincidence, Damon was sure of it. There was some type of connection between them, but Damon was damned if he knew what it was. Interrogating the wolf before disposing of him was the only way to find out because getting a straight answer of out Katherine was as unlikely as hell freezing over. He'd been looking for the wolf all afternoon and had no luck so far.

His phone beeped. Damon pulled it out to check the message. It was from Alaric. _Saw Mason talking to the sheriff. What's that about?_

_Don't know, not anything good. Where are they now?_ Damon replied.

A few seconds later the phone beeped again. _They went their separate ways. Sheriff looked worried though. Watch your back._

_I will. Thanks for the heads up._

Damon shoved the phone back in his pocket. He was pretty sure he knew what Mason had told Liz. And if he was right then both he and Stefan were in big trouble.

Elena was exhausted. She and Caroline had been working diligently all afternoon. They'd made a lot of progress and even got a thankful nod from Mrs. Lockwood. It felt like old times, just for a little while. There had been no talk of vampires or werewolves or spells. Elena tried to get Bonnie to help, but she was still having trouble accepting Caroline's new situation. Elena understood Bonnie's aversion to vampires, but lumping all vampires into one evil mass was unfair. Caroline was supposed to be her friend and desperately needed all the support she could get. Elena wished she could bridge the gap, but frankly it wasn't her problem. If Bonnie couldn't meet them halfway, then Elena wasn't going to force her. This was something Bonnie was going to have to figure out on her own.

Elena was surprised and a tad alarmed when Alaric came running up to them. "Elena, Caroline, have either of you seen Damon?" he panted.

"I haven't seen him for days," Elena said, which was true. The look on Alaric's face filled her with dread. "What's going on, Ric?"

"Mason was talking the sheriff earlier."

"My mom?" Caroline asked, confused. "Why would Mason Lockwood be talking to my mom?"

"I think he may have told her about Damon and Stefan."

"Oh my god," Caroline said.

"We have to find them," Elena said.

"I've been calling Damon's cell and he's not answering," Alaric informed them.

Elena was already on her phone calling Stefan. No answer. "Stefan's not answering either. Damn it."

"Would Stefan answer a call from you, Elena?" Caroline asked. "Given the circumstances, he might be avoiding you."

"No, Stefan would answer, I'm sure of it."

Alaric was more convinced than ever that something was amiss, but didn't have time to get the details. "Can we focus, ladies?" he asked in exasperation.

"Right, sorry," Caroline said.

"Let's assume that your mom does have them," Alaric said. "Where would she take them?"

"I don't know!" Caroline said, in frustration. "I didn't even know about all this Council stuff until recently."

"Okay, okay. Process of elimination. What's close to here?"

"We're near the woods, Ric, there isn't anything..." Elena said. Then she had a thought. "Wait, I think I know. Isn't the old Lockwood place near here?"

"The one we thought was haunted when we were kids?" Caroline asked. "Yeah, I think it is."

"And if Mason was in on them getting taken, it makes sense," Alaric said. "Okay, look, I'm going to go get a few things from my car, you two wait here."

Elena had no intention of waiting. If Damon and Stefan were in trouble she was going after them. She was already walking in the direction of the old Lockwood place as soon as Alaric was gone.

"Elena!" Caroline called. She caught up in a flash. "I can't...my mom...she can't know about me," she said in despair.

"I know, Caroline. It's okay. I'll go alone."

"But you can't!"

"I can't abandon them, Caroline."

Caroline was about to argue, when a figure of a man emerged from the trees. "I wouldn't go this way if I were you," Mason said. "Nothing to see here."

"I doubt that," Elena spat. "What did you do with them?"

"I didn't do anything. I just let Sheriff Forbes in on a few inconvenient truths."

Elena didn't have time to share in evil banter 101 with Mason. She tried to feign like she was going to run left, but Mason was too quick for her. The next thing she knew he had her in a strangle hold. She struggled, pulling uselessly at his arm but to no avail.

"You look just like her," she heard Mason mutter. "How is that possible?"

Elena never got to answer him because Caroline was on them in a flash. The young vampire pried Elena free with ease and tossed Mason against a tree like a rag doll. Elena struggled to her feet, rubbing her throat with her hand. She watched in awe as Caroline make quick work of Mason, knocking the werewolf out cold.

"Caroline! Elena!" Alaric called. He came running up to them, his eyes wide as he took in the scene.

"Tie him up, Ric," Elena ordered. Mason knew Katherine, that much was clear. They needed to talk to him. "I'm going."

Elena didn't stay to see if he followed her instructions. She took off at a dead sprint for the Lockwood ruins. As she got closer to the ruins, she heard voices. Then gunshots. Terror filled her heart as she slowly climbed down the ancient stone steps. One wrong step would send her sprawling. Finally, after what felt like an eternity, she reached the bottom. She pushed the door open and ran inside.

"Stop!" she shouted.

Sheriff Forbes turned, looking at her in astonishment. "Elena! You shouldn't be here. You have no idea what you're dealing with."

"I won't let you hurt them," she replied stubbornly.

Elena looked behind the sheriff and saw Damon and Stefan lying on the ground. Stefan was motionless with several bullet holes in his torso. Damon looked worse. He had cuts all across his face and a gaping wound in his abdomen. There was blood everywhere. It was clear Damon, at least, had put up a fight. They had both been drugged with vervain. Elena's blood boiled. Who could be so cruel? After everything the brothers had done for Mystic Falls, this is how they get treated?

"Elena, get out of here. _Now,_" Sheriff Forbes demanded.

Out of the corner of her eye, Elena saw the sheriff's deputies closing in on her. They had their guns drawn. Elena had never been so scared in her life. For all the supernatural threats she'd faced, none of them scared her as much as a few regular humans with guns. But she couldn't just stand by and let Sheriff Forbes kill Damon and Stefan.

"Elena, go," Damon croaked. He sounded like there was blood gurgling through his airway. It was a sickening sound. "Please," he said and suddenly Elena was in a very different cave. She was the one begging Damon to leave before it was too late. The memory hit her with such force it nearly knocked her over.

She looked over at him and said stubbornly, "Not without you."

"You leave me no choice, Elena," Sheriff Forbes said sadly. She nodded at the deputies.

The deputies never saw Caroline coming. One second they were moving toward Elena and the next one was tossed against the wall and other was having his jugular torn out. Alaric was hot on Caroline's heels, crossbow drawn. He pointed it directly at a shocked Sheriff Forbes. Elena took the opportunity of the commotion to run to where Damon lay.

Elena knelt down next to him and cradled his head in her lap. He tried to shove her off, but he'd lost too much blood and the vervain was still in system. "Stefan," he protested weakly.

Elena looked over at Stefan. He was still unconscious. There wasn't anything Elena could do for him until he regained consciousness. Damon was another matter. Her feelings for the elder Salvatore may be a confusing mess of confusion but she was not going to let him die no matter how much he protested. He was just going to have to deal with that.

"Damon, you need blood," Elena said emphatically. She held out her wrist. "Drink."

The look in his eyes almost made her cry. "No," he said. "I can't."

"What are you talking about? Of course you can. _Drink._"

Damon just shook his head and pushed her arm away. Elena growled in frustration. Stupid vampire!

"Elena," Alaric said, "I don't think he could stop himself if he drank from you. He could kill you."

"Then what are we going to do? We can't let him die, Ric."

Alaric looked over at the motionless deputy. The man's head was lying at an unnatural angle. It was obvious he was dead; his neck probably snapped when Caroline threw him against the wall. Elena didn't hesitate. Carefully, she lowered Damon's head to cold stone floor and got up. It took all of her strength but she managed to drag the man's heavy body to where Damon lay.

Damon looked up at her gratefully and then sank his fangs into the neck of the dead man. As he drank, Stefan started to come around. Elena ran to his side.

"Are you okay, Stefan?" she asked, worried. She'd never seen a vampire become nearly comatose before.

Stefan shook his head trying to clear out the fuzziness. "What's going on? The last thing I remember is Damon fighting some of Sheriff Forbes's deputies..."

"He's going to need blood too, Elena," Alaric interjected. "The vervain is still in his system."

Stefan shook his head again. "No, I'm fine. I just need some time."

"Stefan's squirrel diet is hindering his ability to heal," Damon said suddenly. "The after affects of the vervain will last longer too."

"So what do we do?" Elena asked.

"Find him some bunnies in the relatively near future," Damon replied. "Don't worry, Elena, he'll be fine."

"Are you okay?" she asked, trying to communicate her concern with her eyes.

He gave her that look again, the one that secretly made her stomach do flips. Then he nodded. Relief washed over her. Damon turned his attention to the still shocked and reeling Sheriff Forbes.

"Stay...stay away from me, Damon," the sheriff said weakly. She backed up as far as she could until she hit the opposite wall. She refused to took at Caroline, who was sitting quietly in a small alcove her mouth and chin covered in dried blood.

Alaric stood cautiously between Damon and the sheriff but Damon made no threatening moves. He just looked at her sadly. "Why, Liz?"

The sheriff looked disgusted. "I _trusted _you. And all along you were a...a..."

"Vampire. I'm a vampire, Liz. And so's my brother. And so, as I'm sure you saw, is your daughter."

"I have no daughter," the sheriff replied, raising her chin in defiance.

Caroline started crying silently. Elena went over to her and put her arm around her friend.

"What are you going to do with me?" the sheriff asked.

"Mom, please," Caroline pleaded. "Don't tell anyone. Please. Please don't make Damon kill you."

The sheriff ignored her crying child and faced Damon. "Is that what happens now? Do you have to kill me?"

Damon looked at her in surprise. "No, Liz. You're my friend."

Elena could tell by the astonished looks on everyone else's faces that none of them expected Damon to say that. Elena wasn't surprised though. Damon was just like her. Loyal to those she cared about, often to a fault. Somewhere along the way he'd decided that Sheriff Forbes was his friend; he couldn't kill his friend, especially when there was another option.

"Then what?"

"We'll wait until the vervain has passed from your system and compel you to forget."

"Are you sure that's wise, Damon?" Alaric asked.

"Oh, she'll have to be locked up in the boardinghouse basement until then, but yeah. I'm sure."

An hour later, the motley group gathered in the Salvatore boardinghouse. Down in the basement, Damon guided Liz into the makeshift cell. "It should take about two days for the vervain to pass. Then I'll compel to you to forget this ever happened. And we can call go back to normal, understand?"

Liz nodded.

Damon heard Caroline coming with some of Liz's things, unfortunately so did Liz. "I don't want her in here," Liz said.

Damon sighed. Parental rejection was not something with which he was unfamiliar. The pain of his own father's rejection flared in his chest. No matter what he did, it was never good enough for the stern Guiseppe Salvatore. Caroline's fault was something that was beyond her control. He didn't want what happened to him happen to Caroline and Liz.

"She's still your daughter, Liz."

The elder Forbes shook her head. "No, she's not. Not anymore. She's a monster."

"You don't know how wrong you are." He handed Liz her things and left, locking the door behind him.

Caroline smiled in gratitude as he passed her. Damon silently nodded back. He didn't want a big production made of it. Caroline seemed to get that. Maybe he'd been wrong about her. Maybe she wasn't going to be such a liability after all.

Damon was surprised to find Elena waiting for him when he climbed the stairs. He thought she'd be fawning over Stefan, their brief truce over. He didn't expect anything from her. What he'd done today didn't change anything between them. In a way, it made things worse. His stupidity in attacking Mason caused this.

"Come to lecture me, Elena?"

"No, Damon. I came to thank you."

"For what? This is _my_ fault. If I hadn't attacked Mason, he never would have gone to Liz."

"Stefan told me what happened in the woods, Damon," Elena said quietly.

Damon couldn't forget what happened in the woods. He'd been replaying it over and over in his head for the last few hours. If he'd have been faster or smarter, this could have all been avoided.

After receiving Alaric's warning, he'd gone in search of the wolf responsible. He left a message on Stefan's phone about what was going on. No sooner had he done that, than he'd heard Stefan cry out. He took off in the direction of the sound and wandered directly into a trap. Stefan was in the middle of small clearing struggling between two deputies. He was already weak from a dose of vervain. Damon launched himself as his brother's captors. Once Stefan was free, Damon hoisted him into a standing position. That's when the shots ran out. Damon felt the tranquilizer embed itself in his skin, releasing the vervain. He yanked it out and struggled to remain standing. In the confusion, he dropped Stefan. Through the vervain haze, Damon tried to get a bead on where the next attack was coming from, but he couldn't. He fell to his knees when someone kicked him in the face sending him sprawling. Furious, Damon gathered the last of his strength and attacked. He never saw where the makeshift stake came from. He was just thankful they had lousy aim. He didn't want to think about how close he came to death, true death.

"He's my brother, Elena," Damon said, as if that explained everything. And it did. Stefan was his brother, his only family. He would do anything for him, despite their obvious issues. Fortunately, he knew Elena would understand that. He didn't have to explain himself to her. She seemed to instinctively get him. "How is Stefan?" he asked, changing the subject.

"Better," Elena replied. "Alaric's with him."

"Why aren't you?" Damon asked. The words were out of his mouth before he could stop them. Then he cursed himself. _She just wants to thank you for saving her precious Stefan, you ass. It doesn't have anything to do with you._

"I think you know, Damon."

"You've thanked me. Now you can go back to hating me in peace."

Elena looked stung. "I don't hate you, Damon. I don't think I ever really did. I wanted to. Damon, I wanted to hate you so much for what you did."

"Then why..."

"I don't know. I was easier to pretend to hate you than admit that I hated myself for not hating you."

"Elena..."

"I'm not saying I forgive you. I'm not ready for that. Not yet. But I wanted you know that I don't hate you." She paused like she was going to say something else. She must have thought better of it, because instead she smiled and said, "Good night, Damon."

"Good night, Elena."


	4. Chapter 4

**Author's note:** I am so sorry for the delay in getting this chapter posted. I had a bit of writer's block, then I kept getting distracted. Anyway, it's finished now. We're beginning to vere more and more away from canon, so beware of that. As always, thanks to everyone who has reviewed/favorited this story. And if you haven't reviewed, what are you waiting for? LOL Enjoy!

**Disclaimer:** Nope, not mine. I'm just playing in the sand box.

**Chapter Four**

Katherine watched Elena leave the boardinghouse. She hated doing her own lurking, but Mason's stupidity had left her with little choice. She had been a fool to trust him. She thought she'd been very clear: no harm must come to the Salvatores. And what does that lunkhead do? Go tattling to the sheriff. For the first time, she was thankful for her doppelganger's martyr streak. Elena had run blind into a situation that could have gotten her killed, and she'd done it without hesitation. It was a selflessness that Katherine had never possessed. She believed in self-preservation above all else. It was how she'd gotten into this mess 500 years ago and now she was relying on her modern day human double to get her out of it.

Katherine felt nothing in abandoning Mason to his fate; she could always find another werewolf. What did piss her off was that she still didn't have the moonstone. Mason said he had it but he didn't trust her enough to had it over. Not that she could blame him really, but it was annoying all the same. She would have to get it another way; none that involved her doing any actual work, mind you. If Damon was as clever as Katherine thought he was, then the elder Salvatore would have his hands on the moonstone soon. Then Katherine would just take it back. She grinned. As annoying as Damon's obsession with her was, she did take a kind of perverse pride in how he had turned out. Until returning to Mystic Falls, Katherine thought she had managed to stamp down the pathetic, kind gentleman that Damon had been. For the last century and a half, he was the perfect hedonistic killing machine, taking what he wanted when he wanted it. Then along came Elena, the girl who looked just like her, but was so very, very different. Elena manged to see beyond the sarcastic, indifferent exterior and bring out the man. And the kicker was she didn't even realize it! It was just one more thing for Katherine to hate her for. Katherine did _not_ like to share her toys.

Katherine felt her phone vibrate. She pulled it out, glanced at the message and smiled. One more piece just fell into place.

Stefan heard Elena leave. She hadn't come back to say good night or anything she just...left. Well, that wasn't quite true. She'd said good night to Damon. Good night and a lot of other things. Stefan hadn't realized until that moment just how much he was relying on Elena's hatred of his brother to keep her. As long Damon was the "evil" brother, as long as he kept doing things to screw up, Stefan would always the safe – indeed the logical – choice. Deep down he'd always known it would just be a matter of time before Elena developed some kind of feelings for Damon. He'd just hoped it wouldn't have been so _fast_. But Stefan wasn't blind. He'd seen the tug they had on each other from the very beginning. It was like they were drawn to each other, like a satellite in a decaying orbit. Eventually they would collide. It was like trying to stop gravity.

Still, Stefan couldn't find it in his heart to be angry. Upset, disappointed and a wicked case of deja vu? Yes. But angry? Definitely not. It was a reflection of who Elena was. She was always willing to see the good in people, even some like Damon who did something seemingly unforgivable. It was one of the things he loved most about her. Elena's kindness and heart were so unlike Katherine. It was almost as if he'd been given a second chance and he swore that he wouldn't waste it.

But now it appeared that that second chance was slowly walking away from him. There was so much that Damon could give her that he couldn't and it scared the crap out of him that eventually Elena would figure that out. Damon was older, stronger and took a much more cynical and practical view of the world. He could see the big picture. When it came to protecting Elena physically, there was no one better suited to the task than Damon. He was willing to do _whatever_ it took to ensure her safety and damn the consequences. Stefan thought about what happened that afternoon, about how physically weak he had been from the vervain and blood loss. Until he met Elena, he never considered how much diet affected him physically. The slightly decreased strength, the poor compulsion...all those things didn't matter because he had no reason to use them. But now? Recent events drove home just how ineffective he was in a crisis. For the first time ever, he found himself seriously contemplating ingesting human blood. Maybe he could do what Katherine did and slowly build up a tolerance. Or it could all blow up in face. Stefan knew the risks better than anyone. But he had to try. He owned Elena that. He couldn't bear it if anything happened to her. At least, that what he kept telling himself as he reached for the blood bag.

Damon didn't like this. At all. He'd intended on interrogating – and by interrogate, he meant torture – Mason alone. He didn't want or need an audience. Now, as he faced a tied and bound Mason, he had not one but two "helpers." Alaric and Jeremy, of all people. Alaric made some sense; Damon trusted the history teacher not to flinch from the more unsavory aspects. But Jeremy? Elena's little brother made _no_ sense. The younger Gilbert had insisted though. He said he wanted to help, although how he was going to do that was a mystery to Damon. So far all he'd managed to do was check Mason's restraints to make sure they were secure. They'd been at it for an hour and Damon's patience was wearing thin.

"For the fifty-seventh time, how do you know Katherine?"

"Don't know anyone named Katherine," Mason said through gritted teeth.

"That's bullshit and you know it."

"Believe what you want."

"Elena heard you say that she looked just like her," Alaric pointed out. "Now unless Elena has another doppelganger out there that we don't know about..."

Damon rolled his eyes. Clearly, Mason was going to need some...persuasion. Preferably of the painful variety. The wolf had tried to kill him, after all. Turnabout was fair play. He turned to Alaric. "Ric, hand me that glass." It was filled with wolfsbane diluted in water; they'd learned about that particular werewolf allergy in Isobel's research. Damon didn't hesitate in pouring its contents down Mason's throat. The werewolf spluttered and gagged; Damon could see steam coming out of his mouth. Mason struggled fruitlessly against his bonds, but since it wasn't the full moon he didn't have the strength to break them.

"Let's try another tack. What are you doing back in Mystic Falls?"

"I told you," Mason panted, "I'm back for my brother's funeral."

"Funeral was a long time ago, why are you still here? Is this werewolf thing genetic?" Mason's silence spoke volumes.

"I know about the curse."

Damon and Alaric both looked askance at Jeremy. Before either of them could ask, Jeremy continued, "Tyler said it's activated when you're responsible for someone's death."

"Become chummy with the littlest werewolf, huh?" Damon asked. "I'm impressed, Jeremy."

"Leave Tyler alone," Mason said. "He's got nothing to do with this."

"I think I'll be the one who decides that. Now since you're already of the furry persuasion, who did you kill?"

Mason didn't answer right away. It was clearly a subject that was still painful for him. Damon got the impression that before he was cursed, Mason had been a decent guy. Bit of a rebel – okay, maybe a wannabe rebel, he _was_ a surfer, after all – but definitely not cut out for the family business. Now he was in way over his head and it was going to cost him more than he'd ever imagined.

"It was an accident," Mason began. "I was in a bar minding my own business when this guy comes up to me wanting to know why I'd slept with his girlfriend. I'd never seen him before in my life. But he just kept at it...I got so angry...finally I punched him. We fought and...and..." He trailed off unable to finish.

"Wild guess...guy died, right?"

Mason nodded.

"Then what?"

"What do you mean, then what?"

"I didn't say it in Klingon, Lassie," Damon spat.

Mason grimaced, then sighed. Damon had him and he knew it. "Katherine found me. She said it would be alright."

Damon looked down at Mason with a sympathy that surprised him. It finally dawned on him who Mason reminded him of.

"Just when I thought you couldn't get anymore pathetic."

"What?"

"Katherine found you? Just after you triggered the curse? Please tell me you are not that stupid."

Mason continued to stare at him, completely dumbfounded. Damon rolled his eyes. "She played you. Hell, she's still playing you."

"That's impossible. I love her," Mason said. But Damon saw it in his eyes: doubt.

Damon scoffed. "You love her? Get in line. Once upon a time, I _was_ you. She played you, just like she played me and probably every other idiot who's crossed her path. The question is what does she want?"

Mason chose that moment to become uncooperative. Again. "I don't know."

"Are we really gonna do this song and dance again?"

"I'm not saying another word."

"Fine, have it your way."

Now that they'd reached the heart of the matter, they _had _ to know what Mason knew. Katherine was back for a reason. Beside Elena, she needed something, something that she thought only Mason could get. In order to give Mason a little more incentive, Damon wandered over to the fireplace. He crouched in front of the fireplace and started rolling one of the pokers in the flames. He could hear Mason's audible gulp from across the room. In a flash, Damon was up and shoving the red hot poker into Mason's torso. The werewolf screamed in agony.

Alaric and Jeremy both gasped in horror. Alaric made no move to stop him, but Jeremy wasn't that smart. Damon felt the young man's hand on his shoulder. "It's too much, Damon! Stop."

Damon turned his head. "Back away, Jeremy. You get one warning."

Unfortunately, it seemed that stubbornness was a Gilbert family trait. Jeremy squared his jaw and gave Damon a fierce glare that reminded the vampire of his sister. "No."

Damon's patience gave way. He abandoned his hold on Mason and had Jeremy against the wall in an instant. His arm was against Jeremy's throat. "Don't you get it, Jeremy?" Damon said fiercely. "This _has_ to be done. That wolf knows something. Something that could save all our skins. The only reason we're still alive is because Kathereine _needs_ us for something and until we know what it is, we're all in danger. Now either shut up or get out. Your choice."

Damon released him and didn't stay to see what Jeremy did. A few moments later, he heard the front door open and close. He wasn't surprised. The kid wasn't ready for this sort of thing. Hell, if Elena found out Jeremy had been here, she was going to have a fit. However, Damon knew that if the Gilbert kids and their friends were going to survive the hell that was surely to come, then they were going to have to grow up.

Instead, Damon turned his attention back to Mason. "Am I going to need another poker or are you going to tell me what I want to know?"

Mason looked like he was about to pass out; he could barely hold his head up. "Kill me," he whispered.

"Not until you tell me what Katherine wants."

Mason nodded weakly. "Moonstone," he ground out.

Damon quirked an eyebrow. "The one that she gave George Lockwood back in 1864?"

"Damon," Alaric interrupted, "the moonstone is supposed to seal the curse, remember?"

Damon turned back to Mason. "Where is it?"

"In...the...old well."

"That's all I needed to know." Damon effortlessly reached into Mason's chest and yanked out his heart, killing the werewolf instantly. He turned and threw the bloody heart into the fire, watching it burn into nothing.

Eventually, Alaric spoke. "Damon..."

Damon faced his friend, unapologetic. "It's kill or be killed, Ric."

"I know. I was going to ask if you wanted help disposing of the body."

"Thanks."

Elena was just getting home from visiting Bonnie when Jeremy came through the door. Her trip had been as fruitless as she'd feared, but Elena had a feeling they were going to need Bonnie's witchy abilities before long. Plus she wanted her best friend back; Elena missed Bonnie terribly. She needed her friend more than ever, but it didn't look like Bonnie's hatred of the Salvatores was going to be thawing any time soon.

When Elena caught sight of Jeremy, she was shocked at how green he looked. Her elder sister instincts immediately kicked in. She followed him into the kitchen. "What's wrong, Jeremy?"

"Nothing," he said.

"You can't fool me, Jer. What happened? Where have you been all day?"

"Nowhere," he said, a little too quickly. "Can we just drop it, Elena? Please?"

She narrowed her eyes at him, examining him critically. Other than looking kinda freaked out, he appeared fine. However, the feeling that he was hiding something nagged at her.

"Just tell me, Jer. I promise, I won't be mad."

Jeremy got a glass of water and took a long drink. He seemed calmer. "I was at the boardinghouse."

"Jeremy! I told you I didn't want you involved in this! What were you thinking?"

That seemed to galvanize him, he stood up straighter. "Elena, I have Uncle John's ring, nothing's going to happen to me! I'm not a kid!"

"Jeremy, that's not the point! You know as well as I do, that ring comes off. I can't lose you, Jer. I can't." She paused, near tears. "That night...it was horrible. I don't want to ever go through that again, Jer."

Jeremy hugged her tight. "You worry too much, Elena. Always have. I'll be fine."

"I'm your big sister, Germ," she said, using his childhood nickname for the first time in years. "I'm supposed to worry."

Jeremy pulled away from her. "I know and I appreciate it. But you can't protect me from everything, Elena. You have to let me grow up."

"Growing up doesn't include getting your neck snapped by a vampire."

Jeremy's expression turned thoughtful. "Not normally. But, Elena, I don't think we're all that normal. Look at our family. They've been involved in this vampire stuff for generations. It's part of who we are. I don't want to sit back and ignore it."

"Where'd all these wise thoughts come from?" Elena asked curiously. She'd never quite thought about it that way before.

Jeremy shrugged. "Not sure really. Just something I've been considering since...you know."

Yes, Elena knew. She supposed in a weird way she had Damon to thank for this positive change in her brother. She'd never get the image of Jeremy lying lifeless on the floor out of her head, but she couldn't deny that Jeremy had been profoundly changed by the experience.

Her phone rang. The caller ID announced it was Stefan. "Hi, Stefan," she said.

"We know what Katherine is after," Stefan said without preamble.

"That's good, right?"

"Yes, it is."

"So what, Stefan? Do I need to come over there? What's going on?"

"Damon...interrogated Mason. He said that Katherine is after the moonstone, the one she gave George Lockwood in 1864."

Elena's brow furrowed. "When you say interrogated, you mean tortured, don't you?"

Stefan paused. "Yeah."

"Stefan! Damon can't just go around torturing people! What if Mrs. Lockwood finds out? She's on the Council!"

"Mason won't be telling anyone, I promise."

"What? How?" she began, then it dawned on her. Damon had killed Mason.

"Didn't Jeremy tell you?"

"Wait, _Jeremy_ was there?" It was too much. That's why Jeremy looked so green when he came home. This was definitely not a conversation to have over the phone, especially when the object of her wrath wasn't the one she was talking to. She hung up and headed for the boardinghouse.

Elena didn't bother to knock; she barraged through the huge wooden door and marched down the hallway. She heard Damon and Stefan arguing and headed in that direction. She was too angry to register what they were arguing about. Despite that, Damon's eyes locked with hers the moment she entered the room. Stefan noticed and wisely got out of the way. Without saying a word, she raised her arm and slapped Damon as hard as she could. He didn't flinch; he just stood there prepared to take whatever she wanted to dish out. His calm reaction caused her temper to flair again.

"How could you, Damon?"

"He had to die, Elena," Damon said. "Did you want to test whether or not that werewolf bite thing was a myth?"

Elena was surprised her next words. "I'm not talking about Mason! How could you do that in front of Jeremy, Damon? After what you did, how could you..."

Damon looked at her quizzically. "I didn't kill Mason if front of Jeremy, Elena. He'd left long before that."

"But Stefan said..." Then she realized that Stefan _hadn't_ said, she'd just assumed based on Damon's past behavior. "What did happen then?"

Damon explained – in far more detail than Elena really wanted to know – what happened. She was surprised and glad that Damon had done as much as he could to protect him. That Jeremy hadn't listened until it was almost too late wasn't Damon's fault. Elena chose to focus on the problem at hand.

"Now what?" Elena asked. "Do we know where the moonstone is?"

"It's in a well on the old Lockwood property," Stefan said. "Damon and I are going to go get it."

"I'm coming with you."

"We don't know what we're walking into, Elena," Stefan said, clearly trying to discourage her. For her own good no doubt.

Elena rolled her eyes. "All the more reason for me to come, Mason may have made it vampire proof or something," she pointed out. Stefan frowned.

"You heard the lady, Stefan," Damon said with a smirk. "Let's get this show on the road."

It didn't take them long to get to the old Lockwood property. Damon wasn't surprised that Elena insisted on accompanying them. She _hated_ being left out of the loop. Her point about some sort of trap for vampires was a good one too, something he hadn't really considered. But it made sense; Mason clearly hadn't trusted Katherine enough to just give her the moonstone. There had to be some kind of trap designed to prevent Katherine from double crossing him. Selfishly, he wasn't going to complain about any time that Elena voluntarily spent in his general vicinity. It was something he'd never really expected to happen again, so he was going to enjoy it.

The crumbling old well came into view. The ground around it had relatively fresh tracks, _someone_ had been there recently. Hopefully, the werewolf had been telling the truth; Damon couldn't have the satisfaction of killing him now if he wasn't. Damon looked around it carefully, it didn't appear to have anything amiss externally. When he looked down it, not even his vampire eyesight could cut through the dark pit. He could hear water down there, but that was it.

"I don't see anything," Elena said, as she glanced down the well.

"I don't either," he said quietly.

"So what now?"

"One of us is going to have to go down there."

"I'll go," Stefan said.

"No," Damon said. "_I'll_ go. Can't have anything happen to that oh-so-perfect coif now, can we?"

Before either Elena or Stefan could argue, Damon dove into the well. When he hit the water, pain like he'd never experienced seared across his skin. It felt like his skin was on fire. He surfaced coughing and spluttering. The pain was so overwhelming it bogged down his brain. Everything registered in slow motion. He caught sight of his hand and saw skin beginning to slough off. Eventually, the fact that the well was soaked in vervain surfaced. So did his screams of agony. In that moment he wanted nothing more than to die.

"Damon! Damon!" he heard. His waterlogged synapses recalled Elena's voice.

"Vervain," he manged to call.

"Hold on, Damon! I'm coming to get you. Just hold on," she called desperately.

There wasn't much else Damon _could_ do. Every time he tried to move it just caused more pain. An eternity later – the difference between minutes and seconds had become irrelevant to Damon – he heard the scratch of a rope being slowly lowered into the well. Then Elena was beside him untying the rope from herself and wrapping it around him.

"Just a few more seconds," she said, working as quickly as her human reflexes would allow. Whether she was saying it to him or to herself was a mystery. Her work finished, she called, "Pull him up, Stefan!"

Fresh pain blossomed as Damon was hauled up. The harsh rope dug into his marred skin soaking it in his blood. He focused instead on Elena's pained and worried expression. For the second time in two days, she was worried about him. Him, not Stefan. What did that mean?

Elena was alone in the dark, dank well. Damon's screams of agony still echoed in her ears. She shook her head, trying to focus. The vervain soaked water didn't affect her, but she wanted out of there as soon as she found the moonstone. It _had_ to be down there. She felt along the slimy stone walls searching for any kind of shelf or outcropping or _any_ kind of hiding place. Elena nearly jumped out of her skin when she felt something slither past her leg. _Please don't let that be a snake_, she thought desperately. She hated snakes. Ever since Jeremy had put one in her bed when she was six, she'd been deathly afraid of them. Elena redoubled her efforts to find the moonstone. She was beginning to think it was a wild goose chase when she felt a small leather pouch sticking out of the wall. She grabbed it and started groping blindly for the rope.

"Stefan!" she called. "I found it!"

She felt the snake again and panicked. She started kicking and splashing trying to keep as much distance between her and the snake as possible. Elena found the rope and quickly tied it around her waist.

"Pull me up, Stefan!"

A few agonizing seconds later, Elena felt the rope go taunt as she was hauled up toward the light. She also felt the snake lunge at her. Screaming, she batted it away and heard it fall into the water. Elena was still trembling in terror when Stefan pulled her carefully over the side. He was wearing gloves to protect his skin from the vervain that was now soaking her clothes and skin. Stefan took the moonstone from her and gently set her down on the ground. Gradually, her panic and anxiety passed. Then her eyes rested on Damon.

It was almost like he was a wax figure that had been out in the sun too long. Recognizable, but marred. Large patches of skin were missing. Even some of his thick dark hair was gone. His eyes were closed, but Elena could see the pain contorting his usually gorgeous features. She knelt next to him. When she tried to reach out to him, Stefan stopped her.

"You're covered in vervain, Elena," he reminded her.

She pulled back her hand. "He's in so much pain, Stefan, I have to do something."

"I know, I've called Caroline. She's bringing some blood."

"If I wash my arm, can he have mine?" she asked.

Stefan frowned. Elena could tell he didn't like her suggestion, but she didn't care. She wasn't going to let Stefan influence her decisions anymore; they weren't together, if she wanted to give Damon some of her blood to ease his pain, then she would. She probably would even if she and Stefan were still together. It hurt her to see someone else hurting, especially when she could do something about it.

"I don't think that's a good idea, Elena."

She rounded on him. "Why? The vervain is on my skin not in my bloodstream. It can't hurt him."

"He's in a bad way, Elena. He could hurt you."

"No, he won't. I trust him." Admitting that was big. She knew how Damon felt about her. She knew he loved her. He could never hurt her on purpose. She'd wanted to do this yesterday in the Lockwood basement, but Alaric had given her an alternative. This time there _was_ no alternative. She was the only available blood source; it was a risk she had to take. "Look, Caroline will be here soon, right? And you're here, Stefan. If he takes too much, you can pull him off. I can't let him suffer, you know that."

Elena didn't wait for him to answer her. She hurried over to the water bucket that Stefan had doused Damon with and plunged her arms in. Quickly, she attempted to wash the vervain off up to her elbows. She only hoped it was enough. Again, Elena knelt next to Damon. She picked up his head and placed her wrist against his mouth. For a few long seconds, nothing happened. Then she saw him begin to stir.

"That's it, Damon. I'm here. Drink. It's okay," she said.

She didn't know if he heard her, but she saw the change come over him. The area around his eyes went dark and vein-y. His mouth opened revealing his elongated incisors a split second before they pierced her skin. She expected it to hurt as it had when she'd done this for Stefan; she was surprised that it didn't. There was the initial sting when he cut into her flesh but then she felt...content. It was unlike anything she'd felt before. She felt incredibly...close to him, if that makes any sense. It was like he'd crawled up inside her and made himself at home, like he belonged there. It confused the hell out of her, but she didn't – couldn't – fight it.

Before she knew what was happening, Stefan was forcefully pulling her away. She cried out in protest, but Stefan shushed her. "Caroline's here, Elena."

Elena watched numb, as Caroline gave Damon a fresh blood bag. Groggily, Damon cut into it with his teeth and greedily drank it down. Caroline handed him another and started to guide him back to the boardinghouse. Stefan turned to Elena.

"Elena, are you alright?"

It took her a moment to regain her focus. "Yeah, Stefan, I'm fine." She felt a little light headed but other than that, physically she _was_ fine. Emotionally, she was confused as hell and felt strangely empty, like she was missing a part of herself.

"You look a little pale, I should take you home."

"Okay."

Elena knew that despite her blood loss and exhaustion, she would not be having a restful night. She was so distracted by what happened with her and Damon, that she never noticed Stefan staring at her open wound hungrily.


	5. Chapter 5

**Author's note:** I know, I know. This is ridiculously late. But better late than never, right? I was fighting a wicked case of writer's block. But I think I got it sorted. Thanks for not giving up on this story. I just couldn't let my loyal readers down. So if you're still with me, enjoy this chapter. Let me know what you think!

**Disclaimer:** Sadly, not mine.

It felt like the there were thousands of ants crawling under his skin. Constant and itchy and maddening. His throat was parched and aching. Stefan had no idea how he'd managed to get Elena home without draining her dry. The wound in her arm where she'd fed his brother her life's blood taunted him. _Just one sip_, the devil on his shoulder kept chanting. _All you need is one._ But Stefan knew better. One sip would inevitably lead to another and another and another until Elena lay dead in his arms. That image was the only thing that stood between him and what he craved so badly. After making sure that Elena was safely home, he'd bolted without a word.

Now here he was back in the basement of the boardinghouse staring at the fridge full of bagged blood. He _knew_ this was a bad idea. He knew he was hanging by a the thinnest of threads. But he couldn't bear it if something happened to Elena because he'd been too slow. _Too slow. Too weak. Elena dead._ Hand shaking, he reached into the fridge and extracted a bag of O negative. The calm that washed over him as the blood ran down his throat overrode his inner tug of war. He was content and sated.

"Feels good, doesn't it, Stefan?" Katherine purred.

Stefan whirled around and found her leaning nonchalantly in the doorway. "What do you want, Katherine?" He didn't bother to ask how she'd gotten in. As ancient a vampire as Katherine was, she could go anywhere she pleased.

"Why do you ask questions that you already know the answer to, Stefan?" she shot back.

"I know about the moonstone."

Katherine laughed. "What makes you think I want the moonstone? I'm here for you, Stefan."

Stefan scowled. "So you keep saying."

"You can believe whatever you want, Stefan. It's the truth."

"Katherine, I don't think you've ever told the truth in your whole life."

Katherine actually looked hurt. Stefan, despite his better judgment, felt a little sorry for her. "I didn't mean..." he began.

"See, that's what I love about you. Ever the white knight."

Stefan kicked himself. He'd done it again. What kind of hold did she have on him? Still, after all this time, she could make him feel for her. As horrible and wicked as he knew her to be, Stefan was powerless when he faced her. _Elena,_ he thought furiously._ You love Elena._

Katherine must have seen the guilt that crossed his face. "Aw, thinking about your precious Elena? Trying to convince yourself that you love her? That you don't see me when you look at her? You and I both know the truth, Stefan."

Stefan shook his head. "I _do_ love her, Katherine."

"And you love me. Deny it all you want, Stefan. I can see it in your eyes."

"Whatever I felt for you died a long time ago, Katherine," Stefan shot back, trying to convince not only her but himself. Because Katherine was right, and he did still love her, then he had no idea who he was anymore.

"You keep telling yourself that, Stefan. I don't think Elena will believe you anymore than I do."

Stefan grimaced. "Despite our...difficulties," he said slowly, "she loves me. I know she does."

"And yet there is Damon."

"What about Damon?"

"You'll just have to figure that one out for yourself." She grinned. "I believe the Lockwood masquerade is in a few days. I do love a party!" Katherine went on tiptoe to whisper in his ear. "Don't forget my moonstone."

Stefan could do nothing but stare as she disappeared.

Elena arrived at the boardinghouse later than she intended. When Damon called to tell her about the proposed strategy session, it was the first time she'd talked to him since their confusing encounter by the Lockwood well. She'd wanted to see him – to find out how he was doing, of course – but each time she chickened out. She hated feeling like a coward, but she couldn't help it. Everything about Damon scared her. The way he looked at her when he thought she wasn't looking. His determination to protect her no matter the cost. The loyalty and devotion that she didn't believe she'd earned. Loving her despite believing that she could never love him in return. All of it scared her witless. There wasn't anything special about her; she was about as ordinary as they come. So why did this extraordinary, frightening man love her? She honestly didn't get it.

That there was an intense, palpable connection connection between them was something she couldn't deny, even to herself. Not anymore. She'd realized that the night she heard him say that he loved her, but it wasn't until she'd fed him her blood that she truly _understood_ it. She didn't have that kind of connection with Stefan, as much as she wished that she did. She loved Stefan. So if she didn't feel the same thing with Stefan that she'd felt with Damon, what did that mean? And the fact that she could feel these things for him despite the awful things he'd done – not only to her, but those around her – disturbed her greatly. Elena wondered for the nine hundredth time if it made her a horrible person. She knew there was good in Damon; she'd seen it. But he was afraid of it. He'd built up a wall of cynicism, indifference and ruthlessness to protect himself. It wasn't something that he could just turn off like a switch and to expect him to was unfair. God, she was so confused. She wished her mother were alive so she could talk to her about it. Miranda would know just the right thing to say.

Pushing her confusing thoughts aside, Elena entered the huge living room. She was the last to arrive; Stefan, Alaric, Damon, Caroline, Jeremy, even Bonnie had gotten there before her. She raised her eyebrows questioningly at Bonnie, who shrugged.

"Now that Elena has decided to grace us with her presence," Damon said, "we can actually get some work done."

"What's going on?" Elena asked.

"Stefan had a visit from the Ice Queen last night," Damon said.

"Oh my god, Stefan! Are you alright?"

"I'm fine. She knows that we have the moonstone. She wants it back." The look on his face almost made her think there was more to it than that, but she didn't get the chance to ask him about it.

"You're not actually going to give it to her, are you?" Bonnie asked, incredulous.

"And there goes Little Miss Judgy jumping to conclusions again," Damon said snidely. "Give Stefan some credit. He's not quite as dumb as he looks."

Out of the corner of her eye, Elena saw Jeremy roll his eyes. "So what are we going to do about Katherine?" Jeremy asked. "Because Bonnie's right, we can't just give her the moonstone."

"No, we can't. Which is why we're going to kill her," Damon said, matter of factly.

Elena blinked, momentarily stunned. Of course, when Katherine breezed back into Mystic Falls, she'd known it could come to this. But to hear it expressed out loud was something else entirely. There was no doubt in her mind that Katherine had done some despicable things that merited death; evidence of that was in front of her. Damon and Stefan were only two of the people whose lives Katherine had ruined. Not to mention that Katherine wanted her dead for reasons unknown. Elena hated her more than she'd ever hated anything in her life. It was kill or be killed, a matter of survival. But she didn't want the people she cared about most to put themselves in harm's way either. Which was illogical, she knew. Who else was there?

"What's your plan?" Bonnie asked.

Together, Alaric and Damon outlined the plan. Elena was only half listening. She kept glancing at Stefan. He looked torn, conflicted. His eyes had a far away look about them, like he was somewhere else. She walked over to him and put a hand on his arm.

"Stefan?" she asked quietly. Just past Stefan, Elena saw Damon staring at them, but she managed to ignore it. "Stefan?"

He seemed to snap back to the present. "Elena. Sorry, I miss have zoned."

"I'll say. What's going on with you, Stefan?" She paused, not knowing if she wanted the answer to her next question. "Something happened with Katherine, didn't it?"

"I told Damon not to involve you in this," Stefan said.

And even though she knew he was deliberately changing the subject, anger replaced worry. "Why would you do that? I have a right to know what's going on! She wants _me_, Stefan. What do you expect me to do? Sit around and knit while you put yourselves in danger?"

Stefan frowned. "I only meant that...Elena, what if something happened to you? I can't handle that."

"And how do you think I would feel if something happened to any of you? It's a two way street, Stefan. I'm not some Disney princess you can keep locked away in a tower. I'm a part of this whether you like it or not."

Elena distinctly heard Damon laugh, which he then tried to cover with a cough. Elena ignored him. Stefan sighed, defeated. "Elena, I know we're not...together anymore, but I still want you safe. Taking on Katherine will be dangerous. Just promise me you'll be careful."

"Of course, I will, Stefan," she answered. He was hiding something, she could tell. There was something off about him. He was distracted, distant.

"Are you guys done being all Movie of the Week over there?" Damon called. "We've got a psychotic bitch to take out."

Elena rolled her eyes, exasperated. Her suspicions about Stefan would have to wait.

As far as ridiculously lame plans went, Damon didn't think theirs was too bad. He would never be so foolish as to call it foolproof – he was way to cynical for that – but it stood a fair shot of actually working. That was, of course, if nothing went wrong. _Famous last words._ Damon hated putting his faith in other people to do what they were supposed to do; it went against his nature. He'd been relying on himself for so long, the idea of trusting someone else still made his skin crawl. He knew that he didn't have a choice, however. He couldn't take Katherine out by himself. So here he was milling around the Lockwood estate waiting for Alaric to give him the signal.

Damon could see Elena across the huge veranda. She was talking to Jenna and she did not look happy about it. Damon smirked. Elena had practically thrown a tantrum when she found out that she would be on Jenna watching duty during the party. But since she didn't have a magic ring or witchy powers, it was the safest thing for her. She'd gotten out voted and accepted it with poor grace. Now she kept looking daggers at him every so often, like it was his fault. That was okay with Damon; he'd rather she be pissed at him than dead.

Unfortunately, he hadn't counted on her stubborn streak. The next time he glanced at Jenna she was alone. _Damn it_. As if they didn't have enough problems. But it turned out Elena hadn't gone far. He felt someone tap him on the shoulder; he knew without turning it was Elena.

"Jenna not stimulating enough company for you?" he asked, turning to face her. She was stunning in a dress of dark forest green that came down to her knees, her long hair knotted behind her head and her deep brown eyes glaring at him through her mask. It wasn't often that a woman managed to make him speechless, but Elena managed it routinely without even trying.

"Can't you ever say something that _doesn't_ involve a double entandre?" Elena shot back.

He smirked. "You're the one reading seeing meaning that may or may not be there, Elena."

"Fine. If you say so. Can you be serious for a second? I'm worried about Stefan."

Damon sighed. Of course. Always Stefan. "Stefan's a big boy, Elena. He can handle this."

"I'm not talking about the plan."

Well, that was interesting. Damon's eyes narrowed. "Dance with me."

"Damon, I'm trying to have a serious conversation here," Elena said, annoyed.

"Yeah, and if I have you hear you go on about Saint Stefan's problems all night, I want a dance. You still owe me one."

Elena opened her mouth to protest, but promptly closed it again. "Fine. One dance."

Knowing better than to give her a chance to change her mind, Damon gestured toward the dance floor. "Ladies first."

Elena moved past him and headed toward the center of the throng of dancing couples. Damon followed her closely. When they reached the middle, he grabbed her hand and took her into his arms. He tried not to focus on how well they fit together or how her eyes softened ever so slightly. If he did that, he might not have the strength to let her go. Instead, he concentrated on guiding her through the crowd. He was vaguely aware of the odd looks they were getting, but they were insignificant. Everything seemed to fade – the music, the people – everything except the feel of Elena in his arms. It felt the same and yet it was so very, very different. The last time they'd danced together, he was merely filling in for his brother. It was the moment he'd realized that he was in love with her.

Elena, however, was more self conscious. "Damon..." she whispered.

"Just five minutes, Elena. That's all I ask," he pleaded softly.

Elena looked up at him and nodded, the ghost of a smile on her face. The joy and relief he felt was palpable. That it could be his only chance to do something like this with her was not lost on him. He burned every step, every turn, every glance into his memory. It would have to last an eternity.

When the song ended, Damon silently led Elena from the dance floor. Selfishly, he wanted the moment to last as long as possible. Soon she'd start babbling about his brother. Damon steeled himself; he could practically feel his walls come back up.

"Thank you, Damon," Elena said, startling him.

"For what?"

"I don't know. For putting up with me. For just _being there_ when the world gets crazy."

"That's what friends do, don't they?"

"Yeah." It was probably the closest he'd get to her admitting that he had regained that friendship that he thought had been lost forever. But he'd wasn't going to call her on it. He'd just take what he was given and be grateful. And try not to fuck it up again.

"So. What's wrong with Mr. Gloom and Doom?" he said, trying to lighten the mood.

Elena frowned. "I can't put my finger on it exactly. It's like he'd hiding something. He's...distant," she finished lamely.

"I don't know, Elena, could be because you broke up with him."

"You think I haven't considered that? This feels like more then post-breakup awkwardness. There is something seriously wrong with him."

Damon felt his phone buzz. He yanked it out and checked the message. _Everything's ready._

"It's show time."

"What? _Now?_"

"Yes, now be a good little doppelganger and _stay here._" Damon didn't give her a chance to respond; he was off in a blur.

Elena let out a little huff of frustration. She finally got a chance to voice her worries about Stefan and Damon had to go running off to play superhero. While she was stuck babysitting her aunt. Well, she wasn't just going to stand there and let the people she cared about fight without her. She didn't care that she didn't have some magic ring to protect her. She didn't care that she wasn't a witch. It wasn't in her wiring to stand by and let other people fight her battles for her. She was no coward.

As fast as her ridiculously high heels would allow her, Elena navigated her way through the crowd. She wasn't sure which room Bonnie had warded, but she had a feeling it was on the second floor of the mansion. It had to be as far away from the party as possible. When Elena crossed the threshold of the house, however, she found a very determined Caroline barring her path.

"You have got to be kidding me."

'Damon had a feeling you'd try and do something stupid," Caroline said apologetically.

"Caroline, please."

"Damon's a lot scarier than you, Elena."

"This is insane," Elena said in exasperation.

"It's for the best, Elena," Bonnie chimed in. Bonnie and Jeremy emerged from behind Caroline. Bonnie was a little disheveled, but otherwise okay. Jeremy kept glancing back toward the house nervously.

"E tu, Bonnie?"

"They just want to protect you, Elena. I can't help but respect that."

Elena was trying to calculate her chances of distracting the three of them so she could make a run for it when she felt a sharp pain in her back. A wound materialized out of nowhere; Elena could feel the blood start running down her back. She cried out and doubled over in pain.

"Oh my god," Jeremy said. He had his arm around her in the next second. It hurt _so_ much. Elena barely noticed as Caroline bolted, her bloodthirst nearly overwhelming her.

Elena panted, trying to regain her breath, but it felt like her lung had been punctured. Tears streamed down her face. Jeremy held her but that only made the pain worse.

"Do something, Bonnie," he pleaded. He sounded so much the lost boy he'd been; it broke Elena's heart.

Bonnie was frantic. She threw every healing spell she knew, but nothing worked. Elena felt another deep scratch blossom across her cheek. She cried out. She was beginning to lose consciousness; she was loosing too much blood.

"It's like something's...blocking me," Bonnie cried. "Almost like another spell. I can't break through it."

"Katherine," Jeremy said angrily. "This has something to do with Katherine. Stay with her, Bonnie," the young man ordered. He took off.

Damon threw everything he could think of at her. The vervain tipped arrow still stuck out of Katherine's back It hardly phased her. She managed to hold both Salvatores at bay and had hardly a hair out of place. Stefan had had at least two clean shots at Katherine and had failed to take them. Instead, the bitch just kept smiling smugly at them – wounded, but not dead. It was madness. After everything Katherine had put them through, why was Stefan hesitating?

Jeremy came running up to the door; he was covered in blood. "Stop! You have to stop. You're hurting Elena!" he shouted.

Damon turned, stake in his right hand. He'd been about to go in for one last desperate plunge.

"_What?"_

"Whatever you do to _her_," he pointed at Katherine, "you're doing to Elena too."

Damon dropped the stake like a hot potato. Then in a rage, he flew at Katherine, pinning her against the wall. She didn't try to throw him off; she just stood there grinning.

"What?" she asked innocently.

"Whatever you're doing to Elena, it's going to stop," he growled.

"Or what?" Katherine shot back. "You'd be dead before before you could take a breath."

Damon punched the wall next to her head in frustration. When he pulled it out, it was covered in blood but he didn't care. If anything happened to Elena, he'd never forgive himself. It was his idea to include her in the plan. He should have listened to Stefan.

"Katherine," Stefan said. "What did you do?"

Katherine edged out from around Damon and faced his brother. "Let's just say I have a...relationship with the Bennetts."

"But Bonnie would never..." Stefan said, confused.

Katherine rolled her eyes. "Believe me, Stefan, this kind of magic is way above Sabrina's paygrade."

Damon looked to where Jeremy stood, but he was already gone. Probably to convey the news to Bonnie. If anyone had a chance of finding this new Bennett witch it was Bonnie. Damon had no intention of letting Katherine out of his sight until Elena was safe and then he'd plunge a stake into her heart.

Elena was barely conscious when Jeremy returned. She felt like the human version of a punching bag. Bonnie managed to drag her to an out of the way alcove so as not to attract attention to them. Turned out the she needed have bothered; there was too much commotion going on on the other side of the house for anyone to notice them.

Bonnie jumped to her feet. "What is it? What's going on?"

"There's...There's another witch," Jeremy panted as he skidded to a stop.

"Another witch, but how?" Bonnie paused. "Wait a minute, I _felt_ something earlier. There was this woman...I thought she had an aura about her, but I was distracted."

"Do you think you can find her again, Bonnie?"

"Pretty sure. Give me five minutes."

"Be careful, Bonnie."

"I will."

Elena, despite the pain she was in, saw the way her brother looked at her friend. She was about to ask him about it, when Alaric showed up.

"Thank god. I've been looking for you everywhere. Damon said there was trouble."

"Katherine had a witch put some sort of binding spell on her and Elena. Whatever happens to Katherine happens to Elena too," Jeremy said.

Alaric looked horrified. "Why would she want to do that?"

"So that they couldn't kill her," Elena said weakly. She looked up. "If killing her means killing me...Katherine knows they could never do that."

"How did she know we would try?"

"Wouldn't you?" Elena asked. "Katherine's been one step ahead every time."

"Well, we've got even bigger problems now," Alaric said dejectedly. "Tyler accidentally activated the curse."

"He _what_?" Jeremy practically shouted.

"There was a fight...Matt..."

Elena's blood ran cold. Not Matt. "Is Matt okay?"

"He's fine," Alaric said. "Caroline stepped between them, but then this other girl – I don't know who she was – stabbed Tyler with a letter opener. He shoved her and she fell and hit her head...She didn't make it."

"Oh god," Jeremy said. "Poor Tyler."

"Caroline thinks Matt and the girl were compelled." The "by Katherine" went without saying. Was no one in Elena's world safe?

How long the three of them remained there, Elena didn't know. It felt like a long time. Jeremy paced back and forth; Elena had to stop watching him, he was making her dizzy. It was something their father used to do when they were in deep trouble. The longer Grayson Gilbert paced the more trouble they were in. Elena didn't know when Jeremy had picked up the habit, but it was oddly reassuring. Alaric did his best to make her comfortable, but there wasn't a whole lot he could do for her. Still, Elena was grateful for his concern.

Jeremy abruptly stopped pacing when Bonnie appeared around the corner. Directly behind her, there was an older woman Elena didn't know.

"Who's she?" Jeremy asked.

Bonnie stepped in front of the newcomer before she spoke. Clearly, the witch expected trouble. "This is Lucy; she's the witch who cast the spell on Elena and Katherine."

Jeremy's face darkened. Bonnie held up a hand. "It's okay, Jeremy. I convinced her to lift the spell."

Lucy's dark, apologetic eyes turned to Elena. "I'm so sorry, Elena. I didn't know what Katherine wanted the spell for. She saved my life once; she said I owed her."

Elena smiled grimly. "Katherine has a habit of making people 'owe' her. I understand."

Jeremy clearly wasn't going to be as magnanimous. "Can we sing Kumbayah later? We still have to do something about Katherine."

"Leave Katherine to me," Lucy said.

What on earth was taking them so long, Damon wondered for the tenth time. How difficult could it be to find one measly witch? This wasn't the first time he regretted keeping the promise he'd made to Emily Bennett all those years ago. If he'd have known then, what he knew now, he'd have let the lot of them burn. Were there no competent witches in the Commonwealth of Virginia?

"When did you turn into the broody Salvatore, Damon?" Katherine asked, tearing him out of his thoughts.

"Not really one for brooding, Katherine. I'm more of the plot revenge and kill type myself."

Katherine laughed. Damon realized how _wrong_ it sounded. How could he have ever loved her? "Is that what you think is going to happen here? What would Elena think of this thirst for revenge?"

"As long as you wind up on the wrong end of a very pointy stick, I don't think she'll care all that much."

"Damon," Stefan said, shaking his head from behind Katherine.

"Elena's not the delicate flower you seem to think she is, Stefan. I recognized that the moment I met her."

"Something things just don't change, do they?" Katherine said. "You see, Stefan? This is what I tried to warn you about. I've lived long enough to know that history _always_ repeats itself."

Stefan looked torn. So, so torn. In that moment, Damon knew what he had to do. As soon as Elena was safe, he had to leave Mystic Falls. He could feel his heart shattering his silent chest, but it hurt him too much to see his brother like this. He could never be the kind of man Elena needed; Stefan could. If his leaving meant that they would be happy, then he would go as far away from Mystic Falls as he could get. Damon would carry his love for Elena forever, he knew that. But his misery was a small price to pay for his brother's happiness. There'd been enough bitterness and strife between them. It had to end.

There was a commotion in the hall. All three vampires turned to see Jeremy, Bonnie and what had to be the mysterious Bennett witch headed toward the warded room. The newcomer was carrying the moonstone.

"Ah, Lucy," Katherine said in delight. "I see you have my moonstone. Well done!"

Lucy smiled tightly. "The wards are down, but before I give this to you, Katherine, I want to make one thing clear. Have I fulfilled my obligation?"

Katherine rolled her eyes. "Yes, yes. You're free and clear, blah, blah, blah. Can I have my moonstone now?"

Lucy handed Katherine the moonstone. The second it touched the vampire's skin, she started to convulse. Katherine's rolled back in her head as she collapsed to the floor, the moonstone still clutched tightly in her fist.

Stefan knelt at her side. "What did you do to her?" he asked.

"She's not dead. It's a kind of mystical coma. She'll come out of it in a few hours. I suggest you have her locked up by then."

"Or we could just stake her before she can cause anymore trouble," Damon drawled. He looked pointedly at Lucy. "You _did _lift the binding spell, didn't you?"

Lucy nodded. "Yes."

"Good." Damon reached for the stake. He was surprised when Stefan stopped him.

"Wait."

"For _what?_"

"We can't kill her, Damon."

"_Are you insane?"_ Damon demanded. "After everything she's done to you, to me, to _Elena_, you want to spare her miserable life?"

"We can lock her up. We'll put her in the tomb," Stefan pleaded. "Please, Damon."

Damon couldn't believe what he was hearing. Why would Stefan want Katherine spared? Unless...there was some small, sick part of him that was still in love with her. Damon recoiled from his brother in disgust. "Let's get one thing straight here, Stefan. There is no _we_. You do this. And if it comes back to bite you in the ass, I will be the first person to say 'I told you so'."

Damon didn't see Stefan's resigned nod; he walked away from his brother and didn't look back. The idea that Stefan could still have feelings for Katherine when he had Elena's love was mind boggling. Although Damon guessed he should have seen it coming. He wanted to have his cake and eat it too, the selfish bastard. Damon didn't even want to think of what this would do to Elena. But he couldn't hide it from her even if he wanted to. And he desperately wanted to. She didn't deserve this kind of pain. But Damon couldn't – wouldn't – lie to her. All he could do is be there for her – if she wanted him to. He'd help her pick the shattered pieces of her heart and then get out of her life. No good could come from lingering. For either of them.

Relief washed though Elena when she saw Damon come around the corner. The physical pain had already begun to to subside when Lucy lifted the binding spell, but she was sick with worry regardless. Seeing Damon there was a balm to her aching, worried soul.

"Where's Stefan?" she asked.

Damon grimaced. "If all goes to plan, putting the Kat in her cage."

It was Elena's turn to frown. Why was he doing that? She was about to ask, but thought better of it. Maybe having Katherine locked up was a good idea. Elena certainly had some questions she was convinced only her vampire double could answer. She trusted Stefan. Besides, all she wanted right now was to know that her loved ones were safe and a nice long sleep in her own bed.

"Is everyone okay?"

"Yeah, everyone's just peachy," Damon replied. He looked down at her; his eyes widened as he got a good look at her injuries. "That bitch," he muttered.

"I'm fine, Damon." She struggled to her feet, or tried to. Damon was at her side in an instant. Despite her attempt at bravado, she found herself leaning on him. "Thanks," she said quietly. Damon smiled tightly, but said nothing.

"I should take Jenna and Jeremy home," Alaric said suddenly. Elena had completely forgotten he was there.

"Good idea," Damon said. "I'll take Elena to the boardinghouse."

"Damon..." Elena said. She didn't think it was a good idea for her to be away from her house right now, Jenna might get suspicious. She and Stefan _were_ broken up after all.

"No, Damon's right, Elena. He can look after you much better there. I'll tell Jenna you went to Bonnie's for the night; she'll understand."

Elena nearly stamped her feet in frustration. She was fully capable of taking care of herself, damn it! "I don't need to go to the boardinghouse!" she said harshly. "I just want to go home!"

"And how would you explain this?" Damon said knowingly, gesturing to her bloody dress.

Elena groaned. Her dress was wrecked, soaked in blood and torn. Even if Damon could get her into her room without Jenna seeing her, she still had to dispose of the dress. But she shook her head stubbornly. "No, Damon. I need to go _home_. I need to sleep in _my_ bed."

"You're the boss," he said sarcastically. He looked at Alaric. "Give us a fifteen minute headstart."

Alaric nodded. "You got it."

A short car ride later, Elena climbed painfully out of Damon's car. The path to the front door was dark and she tripped when the heel of one of her shoes got caught in the pavement. Damon had her in his arms before she hit the ground. Elena rolled her eyes.

"I think I can walk twenty feet, Damon."

Damon smirked. "Could you stop trying to be Xena, Warrior Princess for five minutes?" he asked. "I _know_ you can. But those mystical wounds can carry quite a punch. There's no shame in accepting a helping hand every once in a while."

As much as Elena hated to admit it, Damon was right. Her wounds were healing, but they weren't gone. The least she could do is accept his help as graciously as he offered it. She nodded.

Carefully, Damon carried her into the house and up the stairs. When they got to her room, he put her down. "See?" he said. "That wasn't so hard now, was it?"

"Thank you, Damon."

Damon rolled his eyes, clearly his helpful streak had been exhausted. "Go. Change," he said pointing at the bathroom. "I'll take the dress and burn it. The others will be back any minute. Wouldn't want them to find me up here. I don't think I could take another one of Jenna's disapproving glances; they make me twitchy."

Elena had to bite back a laugh. As quickly as she could, she gathered some pajamas and went to bathroom to change. She peeled off he bloody clothing and showered. She instantly felt better. Not completely 100%, but definitely better. After wrapping her hair in a towel, she put on her pajamas and shoved the ruined clothes into a bag. When she opened the bathroom door, Damon was sitting on her bed with his back to her. His shoulders were slumped and his head was down. Elena wanted to ask what was wrong, but Damon was too quick for her. The next second he was up and appeared to be his usual cocky self.

"Perfect timing. I'll take that," he said, reaching for the bag in her hand.

"Damon..."

He cut her off. "Everyone's home; Alaric said he's spending the night. You'll be safe, Elena."

And before Elena could even open her mouth, he was gone. Something was wrong; she was sure of it. But she was too exhausted to pursue it. Tomorrow, she promised herself. She'd talk to Damon tomorrow.


	6. Chapter 6

**Author's note:** This chapter isn't exactly what I originally intended, but when the muses speak, who am I to argue with them? I hope it works. Thanks to everyone who had favorited/alerted/commented as always. Y'all are the best.

**Disclaimer:** If I owned them, Damon would belong to _me_. Elena would have to find her own. ;)

**Chapter Six**

Elena woke up late the next morning. She felt slightly sore; it took her a few seconds to remember why. Masquerade. Katherine. Binding spell. Elena stretched experimentally; everything seemed to be fine. She climbed out of bed with optimism for the first time in a long time. Katherine was locked up in the tomb; the threat to those she loved seemed to be past. Finally. She could hardly remember what it was like to live without the constant fear of death hanging over her.

As she went about her morning routine, there was one thing that still bothered her. Both Salvatore brothers had given her cause to worry over the last few days; worries that had nothing to do with Katherine and impending doom. She was used to getting weird vibes from Stefan; he had a tendency to close himself off. But Damon...Damon was always there with a quip and a smirk, even when she didn't want him to be. She'd come to rely on his steady presence and last night he seemed oddly withdrawn and...angry? She couldn't be sure. All she knew was that she had to talk to him. It was time to get everything out in the open between them.

So after eating brunch with Jenna and Alaric, Elena got in her car and drove to the boardinghouse. As recently as a few days ago, Elena would have just walked in, but now she knocked. There was no answer. She knocked again. Still no answer. Elena tried the door; it was unlocked. Well, that was strange. Cautiously, she opened the door and stepped inside.

"Damon?" she called.

It wasn't like him not to answer her. Growing more worried by the second, Elena searched the entire first floor. There was no sign of Damon anywhere. Stefan either. Elena climbed the stairs to the second floor. After a peak in Stefan's room, she walked down the hall. She'd never been in this part of the house. She'd known that Damon's room was this way, but she'd studiously avoided it. When she pushed open the heavy door, she paused in the doorway. It was _enormous_. Everything about this room was enormous. Large pieces of art hung on the walls. A huge flat screen TV graced one corner. A large bureau sat on the opposite wall. Finally, in the center of the room was the largest bed Elena had ever seen. It was covered in crisp white sheets with a thick down comforter. The bed had clearly been slept in, but there was no sign of Damon. Entering the room, she got a closer look. There were lots of books. Elena was surprised; she never pegged Damon as a reader, but it appeared she'd underestimated him. Curiosity piqued, she flicked through the titles. Dickens, Faulkner, Jack London. On the nightstand there was a first edition copy of _Gone with the Wind_. It looked well read.

"It's Damon's favorite, not that he'd ever admit it."

Elena dropped the book in fright. She knew that voice. "Stefan! You scared me."

"Sorry."

"Where is everyone? I got here and no one was here."

"You mean Damon wasn't here," Stefan said darkly.

Elena knitted her eyebrows. "I didn't just come looking for Damon, Stefan. I wanted to see both of you. After last night, I was worried."

"Nothing to be worried about, Elena. Katherine's in the tomb. It's over." He stepped toward her. "We can be together now, Elena."

Instinctively Elena took a step back. Something about Stefan's stance scared her. "It's not that simple, Stefan," she said quietly, trying to keep the fear out of her voice.

Stefan just stared at her. "Why? Why isn't it, Elena?" His face darkened. "It's Damon, isn't it? Katherine said...but I didn't believe her."

Elena was more confused than ever. What did Katherine have to do with it? "Stefan..."

Stefan slammed his fist on top of the nearby dresser. "He can't have you too!" Stefan said fiercely. "You belong to me!"

For the first time since she'd found out what he was, Elena was frightened. Well and truly frightened. She was paralyzed with it. Stefan had morphed into someone she no longer recognized. This was different from when he was strung out on human blood; this was jealousy. She'd known about his jealously of Damon for a while, but she had no idea how deep it ran. As long as she'd kept her on feelings for Damon buried, it was something she ignored. Now that was impossible. She needed to find her voice, find someway to calm him.

"Stefan," she said more calmly than she felt. "This isn't about Damon."

Stefan glared. "Isn't it? I've seen the two of you together, Elena. He loves you."

"I can't control what he feels, Stefan."

"But you have feelings for him," Stefan said plaintively.

Elena swallowed. Stefan deserved the truth. The truth as best as Elena understood it; there was so much about Damon that still confused her. "Yes. I don't know _what_ it is, but it's strong. I've tried ignoring it. I love you, Stefan. But being with you, when I'm not sure what I feel for Damon isn't fair. To any of us. I won't be Katherine. I don't want to come between you. You have to understand that."

Elena could see the tears in Stefan's eyes. She knew this wouldn't be easy for him to accept or understand. To him, it must seem like history was repeating itself. But it wasn't. Not really. Unlike Katherine, Elena genuinely had feelings for both of them. Elena meant what she'd just said. If she came between them, she wasn't sure she could forgive herself.

Stefan sat heavily on the bed. "You were my second chance, Elena. I wanted so badly to get it right this time."

Second chance? At what? He wasn't talking about Katherine, was he? No, that wasn't possible. Then she thought of what Katherine had said on her porch just days ago. _Do you see me when you look at her? I know Stefan does._ Elena shivered. Was Katherine right? As much as she didn't want the answer, she had to know.

"Stefan, why is Katherine in the tomb?" she asked warily.

After a long pause, Stefan said, "I couldn't kill her. Damon was going to stake her; I begged him not to."

"_Why?"_

Stefan didn't look up. He stared at the floor as he said, "I still love her."

It felt like a nightmare. She had to be having a nightmare. Here she was telling the man she thought she loved that she had feelings for his brother and it turned out he was still in love with her doppelganger. This couldn't be her life. It was too weird. Nothing made sense anymore. Suddenly, Elena had to move. She _had_ to get out of that room. She left Stefan without a backward glance and ran for her car. She drove for the first place she could think of. She pulled into Bonnie's drivewayand parked. In a daze, she walked up to Bonnie's door and rang the bell.

Bonnie opened the door a few seconds later. Her best friend took one look at her and ushered her inside without a word.

It took a long time, but Elena's tears finally ran dry. Bonnie didn't say much; she just sat with her providing silent comfort andtissues. Gradually, the story came out. Elena told Bonnie everything that happened since she'd heard Damon declare his love for her. She knew Bonnie couldn't understand; the pain caused by her Grams' death was still too raw. Elena needed to tell someone, however. She prayed Bonnie could empathize even if she didn't understand.

"Are you sure Stefan still loves Katherine?" Bonnie asked. "That just seems so...un-Stefan like."

"You weren't there, Bonnie. He couldn't even look me in the eye."

"Do you think it's possible that Katherine did something to him?"

Elena considered that. Finally, she shook her head. "You can't compel feelings, Bonnie. Memories and actions, yes. But a vampire can't make you feel something. It's either there or it's not."

"What about Damon?"

"I don't even know where he is, Bonnie. I have to talk to him."

"And tell him what? I'm not trying to be mean here, Elena, really I'm not. But maybe this is your opportunity to be free of all these vampire entanglements. You've had nothing but trouble since the Salvatores came back to Mystic Falls."

Elena stared at her friend. Objectively, she recognized Bonnie's point. Her life had gotten a lot more dangerous and harrowing since Stefan's first day at Mystic Falls High. But the idea of _not_ having the Salvatores in her life made her a little sick. They were such a part of her now. Both of them. Stefan and Damon had become as important to her as the friends and family she'd known all her life. And more importantly, they entered her life at her lowest point and helped her live again. Ironic that it took someone immortal to get her to appreciate how precious life was and how important it was to live it. She would forever be grateful for that, despite the pain that Stefan's betrayal caused her. None of that was Damon's fault though. Elena was only beginning to come to terms with her feelings for the elder Salvatore and she knew she'd regret it if she just let him walk out of her life.

"Bonnie, I know you don't approve. You're looking out for me and I appreciate it. Really. But I can't turn my back on him. I wish I could explain it to you, but I hardly understand it myself. I just need you to trust me."

"I trust _you_, Elena," Bonnie said. "It's him I don't trust."

Elena sighed. They were going in circles. Elena would have had an easier time explaining that the earth was flat. Rather than try and argue with her, Elena reached into her bag for her phone. She dialed Damon's number and waited. She frowned when it went straight to voice mail. She ended the call without leaving a message and dialed Alaric. He picked up on the third ring.

"Hi, Elena."

"Ric, have you heard from Damon? I've called and been over to the boardinghouse and I can't find him."

Elena heard Alaric swallow uncomfortably through the phone. "You won't, Elena. He's gone."

It was his third bar of the day. He lost count how many drinks he'd had about thirty drinks ago. His vampirism guaranteed that it would take many more drinks before he passed out in a stupor. Oblivion was what he craved; that place of respite where he wasn't haunted by what he'd left behind. He'd been a fool to return to Mystic Falls, he saw that now. Going home his given him scars wasn't sure would heal if he lived a thousand years. Everything he'd been had slowly and inexorably stripped away by one seventeen year old girl. It was humiliating. He stared into the polished glass across the bar and saw a stranger staring back at him.

How could this happen? Damon had no idea who he was anymore. He knew who he wasn't though. He wasn't good or noble or any of that other bleeding heart crap that Stefan embodied. Damon didn't _care_. He'd lost his humanity decades ago; there was no getting it back. The sooner he accepted that the sooner he could get Elena out of his head and move on. She could find some nice, sensible, _safe_ guy and have lots of happy children. They would both be better off.

He heard the crash of a half dozen bottles from the back of the bar. A few seconds later the smell of stale liquor and cigarette smoke all but faded away against the metallic iron smell of blood. Damon's nostrils flared. His throat felt parched. He sat there on the barstool for endless seconds as instinct warred with his better angels. As if on autopilot, Damon slid off the stool and walked toward the intoxicating smell. He found a pretty brunette in her early twenties crouched on the dirty floor. She was bleeding where the glass sliced through the skin of her leg. It wasn't a deep wound, but it was enough to catch his attention. It had been so long since he'd tasted fresh blood.

The girl finally noticed his presence. "Can I help you? Customers aren't really supposed to be back here."

Damon smiled his most charming smile. "I was about to ask you the same thing." He gestured toward the pile of broken glass and beer. "Quite a mess."

The girl stood up slowly. She winced as she put weight on the injured leg. "I'm fine, really. But thanks." Clearly she had experience dealing with drunk, wayward customers. No matter.

Damon focused on her eyes; they were a clear, bright green. "We're taking a little walk, you and me. You're going to lead us out back. No screaming."

The girl gulped and silently headed toward the back door. The bar was busy; no one noticed them leave. Damon could feel the fear rolling off her in waves. He waited for the old feeling of relish and joy to come, but it eluded him. He felt nothing but sadness. When they got outside Damon shoved her into the wall next to a dumpster. It was dark; the nearly full moon shined just over his shoulder. The girl stood there, trembling hard.

"What are going to do with me?" she asked in a small voice.

"I don't know," he replied. He knew what he should do. He should rip open her throat, drain her dry and be on his merry way. It was so _easy_. He'd done it a million times for a century and half. Why was he hesitating?

Tears began streaming down her face. "I'll do anything you want, just please don't kill me."

Damon laughed bitterly. "That's just the rub, isn't it? Don't kill you? I was _made_ to kill you. I'm a vampire; it's what we do. We kill. Only now everything's all screwed up. In here," he said, pointing a finger at his own head. "She's made it all fuzzy. Everything used to so clear, so crystal clear. Catch, feed, erase. It's a simple life. It was _my_ life until _her._" Damon ran his fingers through his thick hair, yanking out a few strands in frustration.

"Who is she?"

Damon fixed the girl with a harsh stare. "Doesn't matter. She's not here." He blinked back the tears that threatened to spill over and focused his eyes on the pulse point in the girl's throat. His better angels bowed in defeat as his fangs pierced skin.

Elena didn't know how long she'd been driving. Time had somehow lost its meaning. _The next one_, she reminded herself. _He'll be at the next one_. There was a nagging voice in her head that told her Damon was gone for good; that he didn't _want_ to be found. The voice sounded suspiciously like Bonnie, so Elena didn't have trouble ignoring it for the first day. But the further she got from home, the louder the voice got. When Alaric told her that Damon had left, she hadn't believed him. Not at first. The Damon she knew wouldn't abandon her. But after searching Mystic Falls high and low for him, she was forced to accept that he _had_ left. She had been right; something was very, very wrong. It took all of five seconds for Elena to decide to go after him. She begged Bonnie to do a locator spell; it led her to a bar nearly 200 miles from Mystic Falls. That had been almost three days ago.

Alaric and Bonnie were the only ones who knew where she was; she knew that the others would try to stop her. Since that first bar, she kept driving, stopping at a few likely spots. Exhausted, she'd finally been forced to stop for the night. As she watched the local news, she saw something that made her blood run cold. A girl had been found in a shallow grave with a gaping wound in her neck. Instinctively, she knew it was Damon.

Since then the trail had run frustratingly hot and cold. There hadn't been any other deaths, but there were rumors of people with missing memories and mysterious bite marks. She decided to focus on that. That was a good thing, right? But Damon had a day's headstart and a century and half's worth of practice of not being found. It was bordering on madness to keep chasing him. Still, she had to try one last time, for her own piece of mind if nothing else.

She saw a sign on the road advertising a bar off the next exit. A few miles later, she pulled off the highway and turned right. Sure enough, the bar was a couple hundred yards down the street. It didn't look like much, but she knew better than to dismiss it. As she pulled in the parking lot, she saw a car that looked just like Damon's. For the first time, she felt a tiny spark of hope. She could only pray she wasn't too late.

Things didn't look promising when she entered the bar. She scanned the crowd for a glimpse of his telltale dark hair and blue eyes, but came up empty. She was no longer surprised that no one questioned how or why someone of her age was in a seedy bar. The trick, she'd found, was acting like you belonged there. Most of the bars she's been to in the last few days were much like this one: tiny out-of-the-way places that catered to a local, rural crowd and the occasional passerby. Hardly anyone noticed her and when she did get singled out all she had to do was bat her eyes, flash a smile and emphasize her cleavage. Part of her was dismayed at how well it worked. The rest of her was just thankful it did. She didn't think that saying she was looking for devastatingly handsome vampire would go over too well.

After discreetly checking the bathrooms, Elena sneaked out the back door. It was getting dark; the long shadows made it hard to see. Then she heard commotion on the other side of the back lot near the tree line. She tore off in the direction of the sound only slowing when she entered the trees. It was darker there; she had to watch her footing.

"Damon?" she called. "It's me, Elena."

There was no answer, so she tried again. "I saw your car out there, Damon. I know you're here."

Finally, she heard Damon's groan. "Go away, Elena," he ground out.

Elena stepped into a small clearing. There she found Damon with a girl a few years older than her. She was shocked at the change in him. He looked ragged, tired and lost. Elena's heart broke for him. She didn't know what had brought this on, but she knew her Damon was in this shell somewhere. But first she had to get that poor girl out of here.

Elena held her hands out as non-threateningly as she could. "Give the girl to me, Damon. Please."

Damon smiled a cruel smile. "Why should I? She doesn't mean anything to me, Elena. I'm a _vampire_. I eat people, remember? You can't make me forget who I am."

"You're better than this, Damon. I know you are."

"Wrong, Elena. I'm not, don't you get that? I'm not _good_. I never have been. I'm not _Stefan_. Now go home."

Elena glared at him, hands on her hips. "When have I ever asked you to be Stefan? I know you're not Stefan, Damon. I don't want you to be him. I want you to be _you_. Being a vampire isn't who you are, it's what you are. There's a difference. You're a good man, Damon. You may not believe it, but I've seen it."

"Newsflash, Elena. I'm not a man. Not anymore and I haven't been for a very long time. I'm a monster. How can you deny that after everything I've done? I broke Jeremy's neck, Elena. _I killed him._ In that moment, I wanted to hurt you, as much as you'd hurt me. I didn't see the ring."

"I know, Damon. I know what happened that night. I'm so sorry. I didn't know. I didn't know how much my words hurt you. I didn't know about Katherine, but I do now."

Damon frowned, confused. "How? How did you..."

"I heard you talking to her. On my porch. I heard you tell her that you loved me."

The look of astonishment on Damon's face nearly floored her. Just as quickly though, his countenance hardened. "So what? Now you feel _sorry_ for me? I don't need or want your pity, Elena. I made this mess and now I'm dealing with it. Go back to your precious Stefan."

The idea of going back to Stefan nearly made her gag. "Why? So I can be his Katherine substitute? No, thank you," she shot back acidly.

"So you know," Damon said. It wasn't a question.

"Yeah, he told me when I came looking for you." She paused. "You knew didn't you? Is that why you left?"

"I left because I couldn't keep torturing myself anymore, Elena. Knowing I can't have you eats at me. I couldn't leave so long as you were in danger, but now...you're safe. Now we can both move on."

"No," Elena said. "No, you don't get to make that decision, Damon. _I_ decide who or what is best for me. And how do you know you can't have me? Why do you think I came all this way, Damon? I came for _you_. Because I care about you. Because I love you."

The second the words were out of her mouth she knew they were true. She felt it with every fiber of her being. This was where she belonged. She wouldn't have moved heaven and earth to find him otherwise. It had truly snuck up on her. She'd fallen for him without even realizing it was happening.

"What did you say?" Damon asked incredulously.

She stared into his ice blue eyes, willing him to believe her. "I love you, Damon." she repeated.

The words "too good to be true" kept running though his head. Damon was half convinced that he was dreaming. Elena loved him? How? _Why?_ It didn't make sense. Coming on the heels of Stefan's betrayal, she couldn't be serious. This was some sort of game to get him to be a good boy. It had to be. But Elena didn't play those kind of mind games, not like Katherine did. He wanted so badly to believe her, but he'd seen too much, done too much.

"I'm done accepting Stefan's sloppy seconds, Elena," he said harshly. "Now get out of here."

Elena didn't even flinch. Instead, she closed the space between them. He could hear her heart hammering in her chest, but her face was unreadable. She looked up at him with those doe eyes of hers full of determination. "Kiss me or kill me. I'm not leaving."

Madness. This must be what going mad felt like. Nations rose and fell as he stared at her. Finally he decided that it didn't matter how or why this was happening. If this was all he was going to get, then he was going to take it, consequences be damned.

Damon brought his hand up to cup her cheek and lowered his lips to hers. His world changed with that kiss. He knew that whatever or whoever he'd been before didn't matter. She loved him, just as he was. He could feel it. And it was the happiest, most joyous feeling he'd ever known.

It didn't take Elena long to deepen the kiss. She wound her arms around his neck and swiped at his lower lip with her tongue, demanding entrance. He pulled her to him by the waist and moaned as their tongues tangled together. It was everything a first kiss should be, just the right amount of passion and sweetness.

Eventually, Elena had to come up for air. She leaned her forehead against his, breathing hard. A soft smile graced fer features; her eyes were closed.

Damon shook his head in disbelief. "Are you crazy?" he asked quietly. "Do you know what I could have done?"

Elena opened her eyes and looked steadily at him. "I know, but you didn't. I told you, Damon. I believe in you. You're just gonna have to deal with that."

"You never stop surprising me, you know that?"

"Am I going to get the chance to keep surprising you?" she asked.

"If that's what you want."

"It is," she said, nodding.

Damon held her at arm's length. "You know this won't be easy, don't you? I can't just turn off everything I was before. It's a part of who I am, who I've been for 150 years. I'll try, Elena. For you, I'll try."

Elena reached out and stroked his cheek. "Don't just do it for me. Do it for yourself, too. None of us are angels, Damon. We all have darkness inside us. But it's how we deal with that darkness, that defines who we are. I'm sure there will be times that you'll drive me nuts, but that's a risk I'm willing to take. Are you?"

He could ask for no more than that, could he? Damon nodded. "Let's go home," he said.

Several hours later, they crossed the North Carolina line. Elena was asleep in the passenger's seat. Damon had the radio on low so he didn't wake her. They'd left his car at the bar. He'd send Alaric after it when they got back to Mystic Falls. He still couldn't quite believe what had happened. Elena had come after him. Him, Damon Salvatore, of all people. He hoped the universe wasn't playing some gigantic cosmic joke on him. Given his luck lately, he wouldn't have been surprised.

Damon had no idea what would happen now and that terrified him. What would he do when Elena came to her senses? That insecure boy he'd once been kept whispering to him. The voice that told him he'd never be good enough; that there was no way someone like Elena could ever truly love him. Only time would prove the voice false, Damon knew that. Now that he had her, he fight tooth and nail to keep her. If that meant playing nice with the other children, then he'd do it. He'd do _whatever_ it took to make her happy. Maybe Elena was right. Maybe there was a way for the man and the vampire to coexist.

He yawned and looked at the clock. It was 4 am. They were still hours from Mystic Falls; it was probably a good idea to find somewhere to get some rest. Damon pulled into a motel at the next exit. He went to the lobby where he found a half awake clerk staring at a small television. For a second, he contemplated snapping the boy's neck and grabbing a set of room keys, but knew that wouldn't be the best way to start his new life. Pity. Paying for a room was the more boring, but practical choice. He'd just have to find new ways of amusing himself. That could wait though. Right now all he was worried about was getting Elena into a bed.

Room key secured, Damon went back out to the car and gently lifted Elena out of it, grabbing her bag for good measure. She was still asleep, but managed to curl into his chest as he walked to their room. The room itself was unremarkable, just the standard the generic bed, bureau, and TV combo. Damon barely noticed. He didn't even want to turn the lights on, he was so loathe to wake her. She'd been through so much in the last few days; she needed to rest. With one hand, he pulled back the duvet and carefully laid Elena on the bed. Even in sleep she was one of the most beautiful things he'd ever seen. He hoped that her faith in him wasn't misplaced. He didn't know what he would do if he failed her. Gently, he removed her shoes and his own. Then he climbed into the bed beside her. He hated sleeping in jeans, but he didn't want to presume anything. He was only going to get one shot at this with her; he didn't want to fuck it up. He was surprised when Elena snuggled into his side. Smiling, he wrapped an arm around her and drifted off to sleep.

Elena woke up to the sun shining though the gaps in the blinds. It took a few seconds for her to figure out where she was. She had a vague memory of Damon carrying her...somewhere. Eventually she opened her eyes and took in the room. It looked like the same type of motel room that she'd spent the last few nights in; the difference this time was that she wasn't alone. Damon slept peacefully beside her. He looked so innocent and carefree. Elena was surprised not to feel awkward or uncomfortable waking up with Damon. Instead it just felt...right, like they'd been doing it for years. It surprised her, but it didn't scare her. She'd spent so much time afraid of what she felt; she'd her fear rule her. Nearly loosing him to the darkness that was a part of him helped her overcome her fear. Living a life without him was a hell of a lot scarier than this fragile thing they had. She knew it would be hard, she'd told him as much. But weren't the best things in life the things worth fighting for?

Elena brushed a kiss across his forehead and climbed out the bed. She needed to shower. She saw her bag lying next to the bed, touched that Damon had thought to bring it. She grabbed the bag and headed for the small bathroom. As she showered, she half expected Damon to join her. She was slightly disappointed when he didn't, but mostly she was relieved. While there was no doubt that she wanted him (she'd spent far too many a night fantasizing about him), Elena didn't want to rush anything. They had all the time in world, didn't they?

When Elena stepped out of the bathroom, she saw immediately that Damon was awake. And shirtless. She swallowed audibly. Those shirts of his had _not_ done him justice. She could feel her resolve crumbling. Looking like Damon did should be illegal.

"Nice shower?" he asked.

It took Elena a few seconds to find her voice. "Uh, yeah."

Damon smirked. He knew exactly what he was doing to her. Bastard. "It's a good thing I've embraced this new outlook or I might have joined you."

"I'm surprised you didn't," Elena shot back. "No one's stopping you."

Damon was in front of her in a flash. "Is that so?"

Elena stood her ground. "I don't want you walking on eggshells around me, Damon. I want _you_."

He was kissing her before she could draw another breath. Without breaking this kiss, he hauled her up and Elena instinctively wrapped her legs around his waist. Damon backed her into the wall, effectively trapping her. Which she was more than okay with. She gasped for breath when Damon turned his attention to her jawline and neck. Her skin felt like it was on fire. When he found that sensitive spot behind her ear, Elena moaned and ground her hips in to his, relishing the feel of his hardness against her. She yanked his head back up and caught his lips in a fiery kiss.

Damon's hand was working it way up her shirt when her phone rang. She groaned in frustration.

"Ignore it," Damon said.

"I can't. It's probably Ric; I haven't checked in yet this morning."

Damon kissed her again before putting her down. "Remind me to kill him when we get home."

"I might help you," Elena replied, when she got to the phone. She hit the button on the phone with more force than she intended. "Hello, Ric."

"Elena? Where are you? Did you find him?"

Damon was nibbling on her left ear; it was _very_ distracting. "I found him," she managed to say. "We're on our way home."

"Thank god. We've got trouble."

"Trouble? What kind of trouble?" Beside her, Damon straightened; he was on full alert. Elena took the phone from her ear and put it on speaker.

"Jeremy's missing."

Elena stood there stunned. Damon grabbed her hand and squeezed. "How long?" he asked Alaric.

"Not more than 24 hours. I didn't call sooner, because I didn't want to worry you unnecessarily. He's stayed out before."

That was true Elena knew. But who or what would want Jeremy? Unless...they were using Jeremy to get to her. This was her fault. If she'd been home instead of running after Damon...she fought down the rising panic. There was no sense in second guessing herself. Damon's solid presence beside her helped more than she could say.

Damon seemed to know what she was thinking. "This isn't your fault, Elena. We'll find him. Ric, we're a few hours from Mystic Falls. Meet us at the boardinghouse. Elena will call when we're close."

"Okay, I'll keep Jenna busy until then. And Damon?"

"Yeah?"

"Don't go quite so far next time, okay?"

Damon smiled grimly. "I won't."


End file.
